headtopics
Nebraska basketball's second exhibition game of the season ended in an 11-point defeat to BYU in Provo, Utah, on Friday night. This followed a 79-74 loss to Saint Louis a week earlier. Although these games do not count toward the regular season, they have exposed areas of concern for the Huskers, who have until early November to address them.
BYU, aside from 6-foot-1 guard Robert Wright III—who averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season—presented a significantly larger, more athletic, and physically imposing challenge. Nebraska struggled against such opponents in the previous season, and despite head coach Fred Hoiberg's efforts to bolster the roster through the transfer portal, the early results have not been overly encouraging. BYU and Saint Louis are quality teams, but the Huskers will face similarly or more physically gifted athletes in Big Ten play against Purdue, Michigan, UCLA, and Michigan State. The bright side is that Nebraska can learn from these matchups and make adjustments while the games still do not count. To replicate their success from 2025-26, the Huskers will need to outhustle, outwork, and outrun more physically imposing teams. It is not a major concern yet, but it is certainly something to monitor.
Key Analysis
Nebraska's offense has not effectively involved its top scorers, Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager, through two exhibition games. Sandfort, a First-Team All-Big Ten selection last season who set a program record for 3-pointers made, averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in 2025-26. Frager, the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, contributed 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per contest. However, in the two exhibitions, Sandfort has totaled just 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting, while Frager has scored 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Simply put, the offense appears to be placing less emphasis on designed plays to create opportunities for its best scorers. A year ago, Hoiberg consistently found ways to get his top offensive players open looks; that has not been the case this fall. The Huskers' ceiling will depend largely on Sandfort and Frager, and Nebraska needs to do a better job of getting them involved before its exhibition game on Oct. 26 against Kansas State.
Another issue has emerged as a potential concern: rebounding. Like last season, the Huskers will not often be the bigger or stronger team against conference opponents. Despite that, they had players like Rienk Mast, Berke Buyuktuncel, and Sam Hoiberg who averaged more than five rebounds per game last season. Although Nebraska is just minus-four in total rebounds this fall, the Huskers have allowed too many second and third scoring opportunities. Beating quality opponents will prove difficult if they continue to allow an average of 14 offensive rebounds per game. BYU and Saint Louis turned those extra possessions into an average of 12 second-chance points. Offensive rebounding was not the only reason Nebraska lost both contests, but in close games, those numbers can make the difference. Finding a way to limit second chances will be critical. When opponents miss, the Huskers need to do a better job of finishing the possession by securing the rebound and turning it into points on the other end.
Originally reported by headtopics.