# 2016–17 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cornhuskers, led by fifth-year coach head coach Tim Miles, played their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 12–19, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 12th place. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the first round to Penn State.
Following the season, Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst indicated that Tim Miles would return as head coach for Nebraska.

## Previous season

The Cornhuskers finished the 2015–16 season 16–18, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in 11th place in conference. In the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Rutgers and Wisconsin to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Maryland.

## Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Andrew White III | 3 | G | 6'7" | 220 | RS Junior | Richmond, VA | Graduate transferred to Syracuse |
| Johnny Trueblood | 4 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Freshman | Elkhorn, NE | Walk-on; left team. |
| Bakari Evelyn | 11 | G | 6'2" | 175 | Freshman | Detroit, MI | Transferred to Valparaiso |
| Tanner Borchardt | 20, 41 | F | 6'8" | 275 | Freshman | Gothenburg, NE | Walk-on; left the team for personal reasons. Returned to team on Feb. 2, 2017. |
| Jacob Hammond | 24 | C | 6'10" | 230 | Junior | Duncan, OK | Transferred to Central Oklahoma |
| Shavon Shields | 31 | G | 6'6" | 221 | Senior | Olathe, KS | Graduated |
| Benny Parker | 32 | G | 5'9" | 172 | Senior | Kansas City, KS | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| James Palmer Jr. | 24 | G | 6'5" | 202 | Junior | Washington, D.C. | Transferred from Miami (FL). Under NCAA transfer rules, Palmer will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Evan Taylor | 11 | G | 6'5" | 223 | Junior | Cincinnati, Ohio | JUCO transfer from Odessa College. Prior to Odessa, Taylor played at Samford. Under NCAA transfer rules, Taylor will be able to play immediately. |
| Isaac Copeland | 14 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Junior | Raleigh, North Carolina | Transferred mid-season from Georgetown. Underwent surgery, has been granted a medical redshirt, and has applied for a medical hardship waiver. Under NCAA transfer rules, if the waiver is granted, Copeland will be able to play immediately next season with two full years of remaining eligibility. If the waiver is denied, Copeland will be eligible for play in January 2018 and will have 1.5 years of remaining eligibility. |

## 2016 Signing class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jordy Tshimanga #25 C | Montreal, QE | The MacDuffie School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Isaiah Roby #33 SF | Dixon, IL | Dixon HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Oct 21, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Jeriah Horne SF | Kansas City, MO | The Barstow School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 1, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 53 ||||||
| 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: "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 2, 2015. ||||||

### 2017 Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits :
| 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Thomas Allen SG | Garner, NC | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Apr 21, 2017 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| 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 January 9, 2017. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 7, 2016* 7:00 pm, BTN+ | | Chadron State | W 98–45 | | 16 – Roby | 6 – Tshimanga, Watson | 6 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,781) Lincoln, NE |
| Non-conference Regular Season |||||||||
| Nov 13, 2016* 7:00 pm, BTN | | Sacramento State | W 83–61 | 1–0 | 23 – Watson | 7 – McVeigh | 6 – Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,883) Lincoln, NE |
| Nov 15, 2016* 7:00 pm, BTN+ | | Mary | W 70–38 | 2–0 | 10 – Jacobson, Webster | 8 – Tshimanga | 4 – McVeigh, Watson | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,738) Lincoln, NE |
| Nov 19, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Louisiana Tech | W 65–54 | 3–0 | 23 – Webster | 5 – Jacobson, McVeigh | 4 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,824) Lincoln, NE |
| Nov 24, 2016* 7:30 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Dayton DirecTV Wooden Legacy quarterfinals | W 80–78 | 4–0 | 20 – Watson | 10 – Morrow | 3 – 3 tied | Titan Gym (3,816) Fullerton, CA |
| Nov 25, 2016* 11:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 14 UCLA DirecTV Wooden Legacy semifinals | L 71–82 | 4–1 | 27 – Watson | 7 – Morrow, Webster | 7 – Webster | Titan Gym (5,153) Fullerton, CA |
| Nov 27, 2016* 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Virginia Tech DirecTV Wooden Legacy 3rd place game | L 53–66 | 4–2 | 23 – Webster | 6 – Webster | 3 – Watson | Honda Center (4,221) Anaheim, CA |
| Nov 30, 2016* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Clemson ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 58–60 | 4–3 | 20 – Watson | 12 – Morrow | 4 – Watson | Littlejohn Coliseum (6,545) Clemson, SC |
| Dec 3, 2016* 1:00 pm, BTN+ | | South Dakota | W 73–61 | 5–3 | 16 – McVeigh | 10 – Jacobson | 9 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,642) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 7, 2016* 8:00 pm, BTN | | No. 10 Creighton Rivalry | L 62–77 | 5–4 | 20 – Webster | 13 – Morrow | 4 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,902) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 10, 2016* 2:15 pm, ESPN | | at No. 3 Kansas | L 72–89 | 5–5 | 22 – Webster | 8 – Tshimanga | 5 – Webster | Allen Fieldhouse (16,300) Lawrence, KS |
| Dec 18, 2016* 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | Gardner–Webb | L 62–70 | 5–6 | 17 – Webster | 18 – Morrow | 4 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,333) Lincoln, NE |
| Dec 20, 2016* 7:00 pm, BTN+ | | Southern | W 81–76 | 6–6 | 18 – Horne | 5 – 3 tied | 5 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,960) Lincoln, NE |
| Big Ten regular season |||||||||
| Dec 28, 2016 5:30 pm, BTN | | at No. 16 Indiana | W 87–83 | 7–6 (1–0) | 26 – Watson | 10 – Morrow | 4 – Watson | Assembly Hall (16,168) Bloomington, IN |
| Jan 1, 2017 11:00 pm, BTN | | at Maryland | W 67–65 | 8–6 (2–0) | 18 – Webster | 9 – Jacobson | 5 – Webster | Xfinity Center (15,067) College Park, MD |
| Jan 5, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN | | Iowa | W 93–90 $^{2OT}$ | 9–6 (3–0) | 34 – Watson | 13 – Jacobson | 7 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,939) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 8, 2017 1:15 pm, BTN | | Northwestern | L 66–74 | 9–7 (3–1) | 17 – Webster | 10 – Jacobson | 4 – Taylor | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,053) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 14, 2017 1:00 pm, BTN | | at Michigan | L 85–91 | 9–8 (3–2) | 28 – Webster | 9 – Webster | 4 – Webster | Crisler Center (11,145) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Jan 18, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN | | Ohio State | L 66–67 | 9–9 (3–3) | 18 – Webster | 8 – Roby, Taylor | 3 – Watson, Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,635) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 21, 2017 11:00 am, ESPNU | | at Rutgers | L 64–65 | 9–10 (3–4) | 14 – Webster | 6 – Jacobson, Taylor | 4 – Jacobson | Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,294) Piscataway, NJ |
| Jan 26, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern | L 61–73 | 9–11 (3–5) | 23 – Webster | 9 – Jacobson | 5 – Watson | Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,108) Evanston, IL |
| Jan 29, 2017 3:30 pm, BTN | | No. 20 Purdue | W 83–80 | 10–11 (4–5) | 21 – McVeigh | 8 – Webster | 6 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,715) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 2, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN | | Michigan State | L 61–72 | 10–12 (4–6) | 18 – Webster | 9 – Tshimanga | 5 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,821) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 5, 2017 1:00 pm, BTN | | at Iowa | L 70–81 | 10–13 (4–7) | 16 – McVeigh | 8 – Tshimanga | 6 – Webster | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,495) Iowa City, IA |
| Feb 9, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN | | No. 7 Wisconsin | L 69–70 $^{OT}$ | 10–14 (4–8) | 19 – Webster | 13 – Morrow | 5 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,772) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 14, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN | | Penn State | W 82–66 | 11–14 (5–8) | 15 – McVeigh, Watson | 7 – Tshimanga | 6 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,642) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 18, 2017 5:00 pm, BTN | | at Ohio State | W 58–57 | 12–14 (6–8) | 17 – Webster | 6 – Jacobson, Morrow | 3 – Webster | Value City Arena (13,044) Columbus, OH |
| Feb 23, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Michigan State | L 72–88 | 12–15 (6–9) | 19 – Webster | 10 – Webster | 3 – 3 Tied | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 26, 2017 6:30 pm, BTN | | Illinois | L 57–73 | 12–16 (6–10) | 17 – Webster | 8 – Webster | 5 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,236) Lincoln, NE |
| Mar 2, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at Minnesota | L 73–88 | 12–17 (6–11) | 14 – Watson | 8 – Webster | 3 – Watson | Williams Arena (14,625) Minneapolis, MN |
| Mar 5, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN | | Michigan | L 57–93 | 12–18 (6–12) | 10 – Morrow, Roby | 4 – Morrow, Tshimanga | 5 – Webster | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,293) Lincoln, NE |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2017 3:30 pm, ESPN2 | (12) | vs. (13) Penn State First round | L 67–76 $^{OT}$ | 12–19 | 15 – Taylor | 11 – Morrow | 3 – Watson, Webster | Verizon Center (N/A) Washington, D.C. |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings