Nebraska’s men’s basketball roster is being valued in the $10 million to $12 million range, according to a nationwide CBS Sports reporting project that dug into spending across college basketball.
That puts the Huskers in CBS Sports’ “Tier 5,” alongside Clemson, Georgia, Iowa State, Minnesota, NC State, Syracuse, TCU and Wisconsin. In the outlet’s breakdown, that tier spans from “$20 million plus” down to about $5 million, with Nebraska landing near the middle of the pack.
CBS Sports said the average cost of a high-major roster is about $13.5 million. The project, which spoke with 100 sources over six weeks, centered on the Power 5 conferences and Gonzaga, covering 80 teams.
The figures are based on “the hypothetical that every player who is trying to get eligible as of Oct. 21 will remain eligible.” Last season, CBS Sports said the average roster cost was about $7 million.
Matt Norlander and Isaac Trotter wrote this about Nebraska: “Nebraska likes those high-feel, high-skill guys who can fit into Fred Hoiberg’s beautiful offense, and a unique twist on the no-middle defensive scheme can help cover up some of the lack of real rim protection [the best rim-protectors usually get PAID in the portal.”
The Huskers open the regular season Nov. 2 against Le Moyne at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Nebraska is coming off a 28-7 season, the most wins in school history. The Huskers went 15-5 in the Big Ten to tie for second in the league, finished 14th in the final AP Poll and saw Fred Hoiberg named AP Coach of the Year. That run sent Nebraska to the NCAA Tournament as a 4-seed in the South Region, its second trip in three years.
The postseason breakthrough included a long-awaited win in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska snapped an 0-8 streak with a 76-47 victory over Troy in Oklahoma City, then beat Vanderbilt 74-72 to reach the Sweet 16. The run ended there with a 77-71 loss to Iowa in Houston.
Hoiberg’s team opened last season 20-0 and became one of the national stories of the year, a sharp turnaround from a 21-14 team the season before that missed the tournament. Pinnacle Bank Arena was a tough place to play all winter, and Nebraska finished 16-2 at home.
This year’s roster has some important turnover. The Huskers must replace leading rebounder Rienk Mast and top defender Sam Hoiberg, who also led the team in assists.
But leading scorer Pryce Sandfort is back after averaging 18.1 points per game, and Braden Frager, the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year, also returned. Nebraska has also added transfers Sam Orme, Trevan Leonhardt, Boden Kempe, Taj DeGourville, Damon Wilkinson and Kaydn Betts, along with recruits Jacob Lanier and Colin Rice.
Across the Big Ten, nine teams are in a more expensive spending tier than Nebraska, according to the CBS Sports report. The conference figures listed were Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue and Rutgers, with the league’s estimated average at $12.7 million. The report also listed the SEC at $17.3 million, the Big East at $13.6 million, the Big 12 at $12.6 million and the ACC at $11.9 million.
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