# 2017–18 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cornhuskers were led by sixth-year coach head coach Tim Miles and played their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Michigan. Despite winning 13 Big Ten games, the Cornhuskers did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, but did receive a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. However, they lost in the first round of the NIT to Mississippi State.

## Previous season

The Cornhuskers finished the 2016–17 season 12–19, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 12th place in conference. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the first round to Penn State. This marked the fourth losing season in five years for coach Tim Miles. However, following the season, Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst indicated that Tim Miles would return as head coach for Nebraska.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Tai Webster | 0 | G | 6 ft 4 in | 195 lb | Senior | Auckland, New Zealand | Graduated |
| Nick Fuller | 23 | F | 6 ft 7 in | 213 lb | Junior | Sun Prairie, WI | Graduate transferred to South Dakota |
| Michael Jacobson | 12 | F/C | 6 ft 9 in | 239 lb | Sophomore | Waukee, IA | Transferred to Iowa State |
| Ed Morrow, Jr. | 30 | F | 6 ft 7 in | 213 lb | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transferred to Marquette |
| Jason Shultis | 3 | G | 6 ft 1 in | 198 lb | Sophomore | Dannebrog, NE | Walk-on; left team. |
| Mohammad Elradi | 21 | G/F | 6 ft 3 in | 185 lb | Freshman | Omaha, NE | Walk-on; transferred to Northeastern JC |
| Jeriah Horne | 2 | F | 6 ft 7 in | 222 lb | Freshman | Overland Park, KS | Transferred to Tulsa |

### Arrivals

| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Duby Okeke | 0 | C | 6 ft 8 in | 230 lb | Senior | Jonesboro, GA | Graduate transferred from Winthrop. Under NCAA transfer rules, Okeke will be able to play immediately. |
| Isaac Copeland | 14 | F | 6 ft 9 in | 220 lb | Junior | Raleigh, NC | Transferred mid-season during previous season from Georgetown. Was granted a medical redshirt for the 2016-17 season and has received a medical hardship waiver for the 2017-18 season. Under NCAA transfer rules with the granted waiver, Copeland will be able to play immediately this season with two full years of remaining eligibility. |
| Johnny Trueblood | 4 | G | 6 ft 4 in | 195 lb | Sophomore | Elkhorn, NE | Walk-on. Left team after 2015–16 season and but stayed at Nebraska; Returned to team in July 2017 after one season away. |

### 2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Nana Akenten SG | Bolingbrook, IL | Bolingbrook HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 15, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Thomas Allen SG | Garner, NC | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Apr 21, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Justin Costello SG, PG (Walk-on) | Elkhorn, NE | Elkhorn South HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Feb 7, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Þórir Þorbjarnarson SG | Akureyri, Iceland | Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 7, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 64 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017. ||||||

## Schedule and results

The 2018 Big Ten tournament was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten tournament took place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday. This meant qualifying teams had nearly two weeks off before the NCAA tournament. As a result, the Big Ten regular season began in mid-December. Coaches requested that no Big Ten game be scheduled between Christmas and New Year's Day; accordingly, each team played two conference games in early December before finishing non-conference play.
On October 18, 2017, the school announced that it would play a charity exhibition game against Mississippi State on October 22 in Starkville, Mississippi to raise money for hurricane victims.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 22, 2017* 1:00 pm | | at Mississippi State Hurricane Irma charity game | W 76–72 | – | 17 – Palmer | 8 – Roby | 5 – Watson | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| Nov 7, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Northwood | W 80–62 | – | 27 – Palmer | 7 – Tshimanga | 4 – Allen/Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (7,294) Lincoln, NE |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2017* 7:30 pm, BTN Plus | | Eastern Illinois | W 72–68 | 1–0 | 21 – Watson | 13 – Roby | 3 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (11,104) Lincoln, NE |
| Nov 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | North Texas | W 86–67 | 2–0 | 18 – Palmer | 8 – Copeland | 2 – 5 tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (9,028) Lincoln, NE |
| Nov 16, 2017* 5:30 pm, FS1 | | at St. John's Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 56–79 | 2–1 | 13 – Palmer | 7 – Copeland | 3 – Palmer | Carnesecca Arena (4,652) Queens, New York City, NY |
| Nov 19, 2017* 1:00 pm, BTN | | North Dakota | W 92–70 | 3–1 | 30 – Copeland | 8 – Copeland | 5 – Taylor | Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,249) Lincoln, NE |
| Nov 23, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. UCF AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals | L 59–68 | 3–2 | 22 – Palmer | 10 – Tshimanga | 7 – Watson | HP Field House (3,348) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| Nov 24, 2017* 6:30 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. Marist AdvoCare Invitational consolation 2nd round | W 84–59 | 4–2 | 17 – Copeland/Gill | 6 – Tshimanga | 5 – Taylor/Watson | HP Field House (2,834) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| Nov 26, 2017* 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Long Beach State AdvoCare Invitational 5th place game | W 85–80 | 5–2 | 26 – Watson | 7 – Copeland | 6 – Taylor | HP Field House (1,712) Lake Buena Vista, FL |
| Nov 29, 2017* 8:15 pm, ESPNU | | Boston College ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 71–62 | 6–2 | 15 – Copeland/Palmer | 8 – Copeland | 6 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,742) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 3, 2017 3:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 3 Michigan State | L 57–86 | 6–3 (0–1) | 15 – Palmer | 5 – Gill/Taylor | 3 – Palmer | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 5, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN | | No. 14 Minnesota | W 78–68 | 7–3 (1–1) | 29 – Watson | 9 – Watson | 4 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,847) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 9, 2017* 1:30 pm, FS1 | | at Creighton Rivalry | L 65–75 | 7–4 | 20 – Copeland | 11 – Copeland | 5 – Taylor/Watson | CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,901) Omaha, NE |
| Dec 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 13 Kansas Shelter Insurance Showcase | L 72–73 | 7–5 | 14 – Palmer | 9 – Copeland | 4 – Taylor | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,207) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 20, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN | | UTSA | W 104–94 | 8–5 | 25 – Palmer | 8 – Copeland | 4 – Copeland/Taylor | Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,032) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 22, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Delaware State | W 85–68 | 9–5 | 18 – Palmer | 9 – Roby | 6 – Gill | Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,431) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Stetson | W 71–62 | 10–5 | 13 – Copeland/Palmer | 10 – Borchardt/Tshimanga | 4 – Palmer/Taylor | Pinnacle Bank Arena (11,284) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 2, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern | W 70–55 | 11–5 (2–1) | 19 – Watson | 8 – Copeland | 6 – Watson | Allstate Arena (5,443) Rosemont, IL |
| Jan 6, 2018 1:15 pm, BTN | | at No. 13 Purdue | L 62–74 | 11–6 (2–2) | 22 – Palmer | 7 – Palmer | 3 – Palmer | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| Jan 9, 2018 7:30 pm, BTN | | Wisconsin | W 63–59 | 12–6 (3–2) | 18 – Palmer | 8 – Roby | 3 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,497) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 12, 2018 6:00 pm, BTN | | at Penn State | L 74–76 $^{OT}$ | 12–7 (3–3) | 21 – Copeland/Watson | 8 – Copeland | 3 – Palmer | Bryce Jordan Center (6,821) University Park, PA |
| Jan 15, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | Illinois | W 64–63 | 13–7 (4–3) | 24 – Palmer | 10 – Roby | 3 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (12,597) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 18, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | No. 23 Michigan | W 72–52 | 14–7 (5–3) | 19 – Palmer | 7 – Taylor | 3 – Roby | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,589) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 22, 2018 7:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 13 Ohio State | L 59–64 | 14–8 (5–4) | 34 – Palmer | 8 – Roby | 2 – Palmer/Watson | Value City Arena (10,918) Columbus, OH |
| Jan 24, 2018 6:00 pm, BTN | | at Rutgers | W 60–54 | 15–8 (6–4) | 23 – Copeland | 8 – Roby | 4 – Palmer | Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,075) Piscataway, NJ |
| Jan 27, 2018 7:00 pm, BTN | | Iowa | W 98–84 | 16–8 (7–4) | 28 – Palmer | 11 – Copeland | 5 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,952) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 29, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Wisconsin | W 74–63 | 17–8 (8–4) | 28 – Palmer | 8 – Palmer | 5 – Watson | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| Feb 6, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | W 91–85 | 18–8 (9–4) | 21 – Roby | 8 – Roby | 9 – Palmer | Williams Arena (11,193) Minneapolis, MN |
| Feb 10, 2018 3:00 pm, BTN | | Rutgers | W 67-55 | 19–8 (10–4) | 15 – Palmer | 11 – Roby | 4 – Palmer/Taylor | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,867) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 13, 2018 6:00 pm, BTN | | Maryland | W 70–66 | 20–8 (11–4) | 26 – Palmer | 10 – Roby | 5 – Palmer | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,908) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 18, 2018 2:30 pm, BTN | | at Illinois | L 66–72 | 20–9 (11–5) | 17 – Copeland | 10 – Roby | 4 – Palmer/Watson | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 20, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | Indiana | W 66–57 | 21–9 (12–5) | 15 – Palmer | 9 – Roby/Tshimanga | 5 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,859) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 25, 2018 4:15 pm, BTN | | Penn State | W 76–64 | 22–9 (13–5) | 17 – Copeland | 12 – Copeland | 4 – Copeland | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,991) Lincoln, NE |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| Mar 2, 2018 2:30 pm, BTN | (4) | vs. (5) No. 15 Michigan Quarterfinals | L 58–77 | 22–10 | 16 – Palmer/Roby | 7 – Roby | 2 – Palmer/Watson | Madison Square Garden (14,260) New York City, NY |
| NIT |||||||||
| Mar 14, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | (5) | at (4) Mississippi State First round – Baylor Bracket | L 59–66 | 22–11 | 13 – Palmer | 8 – Roby | 5 – Palmer | Humphrey Coliseum (3,485) Starkville, MS |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||