# 2019–20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cornhuskers were led by first-year coach head coach Fred Hoiberg and play their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 7–25, 2–18 in Big Ten play to finish in last place. They lost to Indiana in the first round of the Big Ten tournament which was subsequently canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the final game of the season against Indiana, Fred Hoiberg appeared ill during the game, left the game in the second half, and was taken to the hospital. He was tested for COVID-19 due to the ongoing pandemic, but he was diagnosed with influenza. As a result of Hoiberg's sickness, the team was quarantined in the locker room following the Indiana game for a short period of time.

## Previous season

The Cornhuskers finished the 2017–18 season 19–17, 6–14 in Big Ten play to finish second-to-last. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they made a run but lost in the quarterfinals to Wisconsin. Despite winning 13 Big Ten games, the Cornhuskers received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. They won in the first round of the NIT to Mississippi State but lost in the second round to TCU.
Following the season, head coach Tim Miles was fired, having lead the team after seven seasons. Four days later, the school hired former Chicago Bulls' head coach Fred Hoiberg as the next head coach of the program.

## Offseason

Due to a change in coaching staff, Nebraska experienced a near-complete overhaul of its roster, retaining only two players from the previous season (only one of which had seen any playing time for Nebraska). The rebuilt team took an exhibition trip to Italy; a documentary on the trip was filmed by the Big Ten Network.

### Departures

| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| James Palmer Jr. | 0 | G | 6'6" | 207 | SR | Upper Marlboro, MD | Graduated |
| Johnny Trueblood | 4 | G | 6'3" | 194 | SR | Omaha, NE | Graduated; walk-on. |
| Glynn Watson Jr. | 5 | G | 6'0" | 180 | SR | Bellwood, IL | Graduated |
| Isaac Copeland Jr. | 14 | F | 6'9" | 225 | SR | Raleigh, NC | Graduated |
| Tanner Borchardt | 20 | F | 6'8" | 250 | SR | Gothenburg, NE | Graduated |
| Isaiah Roby | 15 | F | 6'8" | 230 | JR | Dixon, IL | Declared for the 2019 NBA draft; selected 45th overall by the Detroit Pistons. |
| Thomas Allen | 12 | G | 6'1" | 184 | SO | Raleigh, NC | Transferred to NC State. |
| Nana Akenten | 25 | G | 6'6" | 218 | SO | Bolingbrook, IL | Indefinitely suspended prior to end of previous season. Transferred to Southeast Missouri State. |
| Dedoch Chan | 2 | F | 6'8" | 210 | SO (incoming) | Rochester, MN | Transferred to Indian Hills CC, left team before start of 2018–19 season. |
| Justin Costello | 33 | F | 6'1" | 200 | RS FR | Elkhorn, NE | Transferred to McCook CC; walk-on. |
| Brady Heiman | 45 | F | 6'11" | 215 | FR | Springfield, NE | Transferred to South Dakota. |
| Amir Harris | 1 | G | 6'4" | 205 | FR | Frederick, MD | Transferred to George Washington. |
| Karrington Davis | 10 | G | 6'6" | 215 | FR | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to Southern Illinois. |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | No. | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Haanif Cheatham | 22 | G | 6 ft 5 in | 195 lb | Senior (graduate transfer) | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Florida Gulf Coast |
| Matej Kavaš | 25 | G | 6 ft 8 in | 200 lb | Senior (graduate transfer) | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Seattle |
| Shamiel Stevenson | 4 | F | 6 ft 6 in | 245 lb | Junior | Toronto, ON, Canada | Nevada |
| Derrick Walker | 13 | F | 6 ft 8 in | 236 lb | Junior | Kansas City, MO | Tennessee |
| Dalano Banton | 45 | G | 6 ft 8 in | 185 lb | Sophomore | Toronto, ON, Canada | Western Kentucky |

### Other arrivals

Noah Vedral and Brant Banks, two members of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team joined the team as emergency back-ups prior to the 2020 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament due to depth issues.

### Recruiting classes
#### 2019 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jervay Green SG | Denver, CO | George Washington (CO) Western Nebraska CC | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 23, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Cameron Mack SG | Austin, TX | Christian Life Prep (TX) Salt Lake CC | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 27, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Akol Arop SF | Omaha, NE | Creighton Prep (NE) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 3, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Jace Piatkowski SG (walk-on) | Elkhorn, NE | Elkhorn South (NE) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 18, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Charlie Easley G (walk-on) | Lincoln, NE | Pius X (NE) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Yvan Ouedraogo F | Bordeaux, France | INSEP | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 12, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Kevin Cross Jr. PF | Little Rock, AR | Mills (AR) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | May 13, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Samari Curtis SG | Xenia, OH | Xenia (OH) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 15, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Bret Porter F (walk-on) | Omaha, NE | Millard North (NE) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 2,015 lb (914 kg) | Jun 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 52 ||||||
| 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: "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Foreign exhibition tour |||||||||
| August 5, 2019* 11:30 am, PlaySight | | at A.S. Stella Azzurra | W 87–56 | 0–0 | 15 – Green | – – | – – | Rome, Italy |
| August 7, 2019* 1:00 pm | | vs. BC Šilutė | W 83–58 | 0–0 | 20 – Burke/Cheatham | – – | – – | Ponte Buggianese, Italy |
| August 8, 2019* 11:00 am | | vs. BC Šilutė | W 73–70 | 0–0 | 13 – Curtis | – – | – – | Ponte Buggianese, Italy |
| August 12, 2019* 12:00 pm | | vs. Italian Select | W 84–62 | 0–0 | 15 – Easley | – – | – – | Costa Masnaga, Italy |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2019* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Doane | W 91–63 | 0–0 | 15 – Burke | 10 – Cross | 8 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,695) Lincoln, NE |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 5, 2019* 8:00 pm, BTN | | UC Riverside | L 47–66 | 0–1 | 11 – Mack | 9 – Mack | 3 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,745) Lincoln, NE |
| November 9, 2019* 1:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Southern Utah | L 78–79 $^{OT}$ | 0–2 | 19 – Cross | 8 – Green | 11 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,828) Lincoln, NE |
| November 15, 2019* 8:00 pm, BTN | | South Dakota State | W 90–73 | 1–2 | 24 – Mack | 12 – Ouedraogo | 5 – Green | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,946) Lincoln, NE |
| November 22, 2019* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Southern | W 93–86 $^{OT}$ | 2–2 | 22 – Green | 7 – Cheatham | 8 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,931) Lincoln, NE |
| November 25, 2019* 6:30 pm, FloSports | | vs. Washington State Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals | W 82–71 | 3–2 | 19 – Cheatham | 8 – 3 tied | 6 – Mack | John Gray Gymnasium (660) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 26, 2019* 7:30 pm, FloSports | | vs. George Mason Cayman Islands Classic semifinals | L 66–85 | 3–3 | 14 – Burke | 5 – Tied | 5 – Green | John Gray Gymnasium (1,066) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| November 27, 2019* 5:00 pm, FloSports | | vs. South Florida Cayman Islands Classic third place game | W 74–67 | 4–3 | 26 – Cheatham | 5 – Ouedraogo | 7 – Mack | John Gray Gymnasium (512) George Town, Cayman Islands |
| December 4, 2019* 6:15 pm, ESPNU | | at Georgia Tech ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 56–73 | 4–4 | 14 – Cheatham | 11 – Cheatham | 6 – Mack | McCamish Pavilion (5,133) Atlanta, GA |
| December 7, 2019* 1:30 pm, FS1 | | at Creighton Rivalry | L 76–95 | 4–5 | 14 – Cheatham | 7 – Burke | 3 – Mack | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,068) Omaha, NE |
| December 13, 2019 7:00 pm, BTN | | at Indiana | L 90–96 $^{OT}$ | 4–6 (0–1) | 25 – Burke | 10 – Ouedraogo | 10 – Mack | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| December 15, 2019 3:00 pm, BTN | | Purdue | W 70–56 | 5–6 (1–1) | 18 – Burke | 10 – Mack | 12 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,654) Lincoln, NE |
| December 21, 2019* 5:00 pm, BTN Plus | | North Dakota | L 74–75 | 5–7 | 19 – Mack | 9 – Ouedraogo | 7 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,010) Lincoln, NE |
| December 29, 2019* 3:00 pm, BTN | | Texas A&M–Corpus Christi | W 73–52 | 6–7 | 17 – Cheatham | 14 – Ouedraogo | 5 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,968) Lincoln, NE |
| January 3, 2020 7:00 pm, BTN | | Rutgers | L 62–79 | 6–8 (1–2) | 16 – Cheatham | 5 – Burke Jr. | 6 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,024) Lincoln, NE |
| January 7, 2020 8:00 pm, BTN | | Iowa | W 76–70 | 7–8 (2–2) | 17 – Thorbjarnarson | 9 – Thorbjarnarson | 10 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,722) Lincoln, NE |
| January 11, 2020 3:30 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern | L 57–62 | 7–9 (2–3) | 11 – Mack | 10 – Mack | 7 – Mack | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,664) Evanston, IL |
| January 14, 2020 5:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 21 Ohio State | L 68–80 | 7–10 (2–4) | 15 – Thorbjarnarson | 6 – Thorbjarnarson | 6 – Mack | Value City Arena (12,954) Columbus, OH |
| January 18, 2020 6:00 pm, BTN | | Indiana | L 74–82 | 7–11 (2–5) | 20 – Mack | 9 – Thorbjarnarson | 9 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,925) Lincoln, NE |
| January 21, 2020 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Wisconsin | L 68–82 | 7–12 (2–6) | 20 – Burke Jr. | 8 – Tied | 6 – Mack | Kohl Center (16,856) Madison, WI |
| January 25, 2020 1:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 24 Rutgers | L 72–75 | 7–13 (2–7) | 19 – Mack | 8 – Thorbjarnarson | 5 – Burke Jr. | Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 28, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Michigan | L 68–79 | 7–14 (2–8) | 19 – Mack | 8 – Thorbjarnarson | 9 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,868) Lincoln, NE |
| February 1, 2020 6:00 pm, BTN | | No. 24 Penn State | L 64–76 | 7–15 (2–9) | 15 – Cheatham | 8 – Cheatham | 3 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,901) Lincoln, NE |
| February 8, 2020 5:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 17 Iowa | L 72–96 | 7–16 (2–10) | 18 – Green | 7 – Green | 5 – Cross | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056) Iowa City, IA |
| February 11, 2020 7:30 pm, BTN | | at No. 9 Maryland | L 70–72 | 7–17 (2–11) | 20 – Cheatham | 7 – Thorbjarnarson | 8 – Mack | Xfinity Center (14,396) College Park, MD |
| February 15, 2020 1:15 pm, BTN | | Wisconsin | L 64–81 | 7–18 (2–12) | 17 – Cheatham | 10 – Ouedraogo | 8 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,864) Lincoln, NE |
| February 20, 2020 7:30 pm, FS1 | | Michigan State | L 65–86 | 7–19 (2–13) | 21 – Burke Jr. | 7 – Ouedraogo | 6 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,838) Lincoln, NE |
| February 24, 2020 7:00 pm, BTN | | at Illinois | L 59–71 | 7–20 (2–14) | 14 – Cheatham | 10 – Ouedraogo | 2 – Tied | State Farm Center (15,354) Champaign, IN |
| February 27, 2020 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 23 Ohio State | L 54–75 | 7–21 (2–15) | 13 – Burke Jr. | 6 – Ouedraogo | 3 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,611) Lincoln, NE |
| March 1, 2020 3:15 pm, BTN | | Northwestern | L 76–81 | 7–22 (2–16) | 20 – Cheatham | 19 – Ouedraogo | 7 – Mack | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,842) Lincoln, NE |
| March 5, 2020 5:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 25 Michigan | L 58–82 | 7–23 (2–17) | 19 – Cheatham | 7 – Thorbjarnarson | 4 – Green | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| March 8, 2020 12:00 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | L 75–107 | 7–24 (2–18) | 17 – Cheatham | 6 – Easley | 4 – Cheatham | Williams Arena (9,984) Minneapolis, MN |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2020 7:30 pm, BTN | (14) | vs. (11) Indiana First Round | L 64–89 | 7–25 | 17 – Cheatham | 9 – Cross | 4 – Green | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (17,923) Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Schedule source: