Nebraska men’s basketball is getting plenty of early-season respect, and not just in the Associated Press poll.
The Huskers opened the year ranked in the first regular-season AP Top 25, but that’s only part of the picture. In two of the sport’s most established computer rankings, Nebraska sits firmly in the teens: 14th in KenPom and 13th in Bart Torvik. Across the seven polls and rankings being tracked, the Huskers check in at an average of 19.7.
That kind of placement lines up with what Nebraska has already shown in a 2-0 start. The Huskers rolled past Le Moyne and followed that with a neutral-site win over Big East foe Providence, 67-58.
A lot of these early rankings are built on what teams did last season and what they brought back, and Nebraska has a strong case. The Huskers are coming off a 28-7 season that ended in the Sweet 16, and they return a solid core in Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Cale Jacobsen. Add in a group of newcomers with strong résumés, and the national attention makes sense.
Having one of the conference's best players in Sandfort and the reigning AP Coach of the Year in Fred Hoiberg gives the Huskers serious credibility and voters have faith in where they place Nebraska among the nation’s top teams. Hoiberg and the Huskers proved plenty last season and until they stumble, repeatedly, they will garner attention nationwide.
Hoiberg addressed the ranking Monday and made clear he sees it mostly as a reflection of what Nebraska did a year ago.
"I don't care, but I guess to me it's more for your fans when they see that number next to your name," Hoiberg said at a news conference Monday about the Huskers being ranked. "And it does speak to the guys and their hard work and what they helped us accomplish a year ago.
"I think that probably has something to do with it, even though it doesn't matter with a lot of new faces and four new starters and that type of thing. So, you know, we're just going to continue on and keep working and grinding and and hopefully get better ... Wednesday."
The rankings vary a bit, but the overall picture is consistent: Nebraska is being treated like a legitimate Big Ten contender. In the AP poll, the Huskers are 25th, which is where they landed after being just outside the top 25 at 27 in the preseason. In that poll, five Big Ten teams are ahead of Nebraska: Illinois, Michigan State, UCLA, Michigan and USC.
KenPom has Nebraska 14th overall and third among Big Ten teams, behind only Illinois and Michigan State. Torvik is even kinder, slotting the Huskers 13th nationally, again behind just Illinois and Michigan State in the league.
The other rankings are in the same neighborhood. ESPN’s BPI projects Nebraska for 23.6 wins and 8.4 losses, with a Big Ten mark of 12.9-7.1 and a 5.9 percent chance to win the conference. The Huskers are 24th there, up two spots from a preseason ranking in mid-October.
CBS Sports has Nebraska 25th, one spot behind Vanderbilt and one ahead of Memphis. In that ranking, five Big Ten teams are ahead of the Huskers: Illinois, Michigan State, UCLA, Michigan and USC.
USA Today’s coaches poll has Nebraska 19th, a two-spot jump from last week. Duke, Illinois, Florida, Houston and UConn make up the top five there, while UCLA, Michigan State and Michigan are the Big Ten teams ahead of Nebraska.
The Huskers now turn back to the schedule. They host Lindenwood on Wednesday night at 8 o’clock CT on FS1, and Big Ten play begins Dec. 2 against Ohio State at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
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