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2017–18 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team

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2017–18 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
NIT, First round
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record22–11 (13–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPinnacle Bank Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Michigan State 16 2   .889 30 5   .857
No. 11 Purdue 15 3   .833 30 7   .811
No. 17 Ohio State 15 3   .833 25 9   .735
No. 7 Michigan 13 5   .722 33 8   .805
Nebraska 13 5   .722 22 11   .667
Penn State 9 9   .500 26 13   .667
Indiana 9 9   .500 16 15   .516
Maryland 8 10   .444 19 13   .594
Wisconsin 7 11   .389 15 18   .455
Northwestern 6 12   .333 15 17   .469
Minnesota 4 14   .222 15 17   .469
Illinois 4 14   .222 14 18   .438
Iowa 4 14   .222 14 19   .424
Rutgers 3 15   .167 15 19   .441
2018 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the University of Nebraska in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cornhuskers were led by sixth-year coach head coach Tim Miles and played their home games at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 13–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Michigan. Despite winning 13 Big Ten games, the Cornhuskers did not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament, but did receive a bid to the National Invitation Tournament. However, they lost in the first round of the NIT to Mississippi State.

Previous season

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The Cornhuskers finished the 2016–17 season 12–19, 6–12 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 12th place in conference. As the No. 12 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the first round to Penn State.[1][2] This marked the fourth losing season in five years for coach Tim Miles. However, following the season, Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst indicated that Tim Miles would return as head coach for Nebraska.[3]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Tai Webster 0 G 6 ft 4 in 195 lb Senior Auckland, New Zealand Graduated
Nick Fuller 23 F 6 ft 7 in 213 lb Junior Sun Prairie, WI Graduate transferred to South Dakota
Michael Jacobson 12 F/C 6 ft 9 in 239 lb Sophomore Waukee, IA Transferred to Iowa State
Ed Morrow, Jr. 30 F 6 ft 7 in 213 lb Sophomore Chicago, IL Transferred to Marquette
Jason Shultis 3 G 6 ft 1 in 198 lb Sophomore Dannebrog, NE Walk-on; left team.
Mohammad Elradi 21 G/F 6 ft 3 in 185 lb Freshman Omaha, NE Walk-on; transferred to Northeastern JC
Jeriah Horne 2 F 6 ft 7 in 222 lb Freshman Overland Park, KS Transferred to Tulsa

Arrivals

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Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Duby Okeke 0 C 6 ft 8 in 230 lb Senior Jonesboro, GA Graduate transferred from Winthrop. Under NCAA transfer rules, Okeke will be able to play immediately.
Isaac Copeland 14 F 6 ft 9 in 220 lb Junior Raleigh, NC Transferred mid-season during previous season from Georgetown. Was granted a medical redshirt for the 2016-17 season and has received a medical hardship waiver for the 2017-18 season. Under NCAA transfer rules with the granted waiver, Copeland will be able to play immediately this season with two full years of remaining eligibility.[4][5]
Johnny Trueblood 4 G 6 ft 4 in 195 lb Sophomore Elkhorn, NE Walk-on. Left team after 2015–16 season and but stayed at Nebraska; Returned to team in July 2017 after one season away.[6]

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: 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:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Þórir Þorbjarnarson
SG
Akureyri, Iceland Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 7, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:   247Sports: 64
  • 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 July 10, 2017.

Roster

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2017–18 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
C 0 Duby Okeke 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 247 lb (112 kg) Sr Winthrop Jonesboro, GA
G 3 Malcolm Laws (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 191 lb (87 kg) RS Sr Florida Atlantic Orlando, FL
G 4 Johnny Trueblood (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) So Elkhorn South High School Elkhorn, NE
G 5 Glynn Watson Jr. 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 173 lb (78 kg) Jr St. Joseph High School Bellwood, IL
F 10 Jack McVeigh 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Australian Institute of Sport Cabarita Beach, NSW, Australia
G 11 Evan Taylor 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Odessa College Cincinnati, OH
G 12 Thomas Allen 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Garner, NC
G 13 Anton Gill 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Louisville Raleigh, NC
F 14 Isaac Copeland 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) RS Jr Georgetown Raleigh, NC
F 15 Isaiah Roby 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 226 lb (103 kg) So Dixon High School Dixon, IL
F 20 Tanner Borchardt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Jr Gothenburg High School Gothenburg, NE
G 24 James Palmer Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Miami (FL) Upper Marlboro, MD
G 25 Nana Akenten 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Bolingbrook High School Bolingbrook, IL
C 32 Jordy Tshimanga 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 268 lb (122 kg) So The MacDuffie School Montreal, QC, Canada
G 33 Justin Costello (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Elkhorn South High School Elkhorn, NE
G 34 Þórir Þorbjarnarson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 194 lb (88 kg) Fr Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík Akureyri, Iceland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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The 2018 Big Ten tournament was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[7] Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten tournament took place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday.[8] This meant qualifying teams had nearly two weeks off before the NCAA tournament.[8] As a result, the Big Ten regular season began in mid-December.[7] Coaches requested that no Big Ten game be scheduled between Christmas and New Year's Day; accordingly, each team played two conference games in early December before finishing non-conference play.[9]

On October 18, 2017, the school announced that it would play a charity exhibition game against Mississippi State on October 22 in Starkville, Mississippi to raise money for hurricane victims.[10][11]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 22, 2017*
1:00 pm
at Mississippi State
Hurricane Irma charity game
W 76–72 
 17  Palmer   8  Roby   5  Watson  Humphrey Coliseum 
Starkville, MS
Nov 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus
Northwood W 80–62 
 27  Palmer   7  Tshimanga   4  Allen/Palmer  Pinnacle Bank Arena (7,294)
Lincoln, NE
Regular season
Nov 11, 2017*
7:30 pm, BTN Plus
Eastern Illinois W 72–68  1–0
 21  Watson   13  Roby   3  Watson  Pinnacle Bank Arena (11,104)
Lincoln, NE
Nov 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus
North Texas W 86–67  2–0
 18  Palmer   8  Copeland   2  5 tied  Pinnacle Bank Arena (9,028)
Lincoln, NE
Nov 16, 2017*
5:30 pm, FS1
at St. John's
Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 56–79  2–1
 13  Palmer   7  Copeland   3  Palmer  Carnesecca Arena (4,652)
Queens, New York City, NY
Nov 19, 2017*
1:00 pm, BTN
North Dakota W 92–70  3–1
 30  Copeland   8  Copeland   5  Taylor  Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,249)
Lincoln, NE
Nov 23, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN3
vs. UCF
AdvoCare Invitational quarterfinals
L 59–68  3–2
 22  Palmer   10  Tshimanga   7  Watson  HP Field House (3,348)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 24, 2017*
6:30 pm, ESPN3
vs. Marist
AdvoCare Invitational consolation 2nd round
W 84–59  4–2
 17  Copeland/Gill   6  Tshimanga   5  Taylor/Watson  HP Field House (2,834)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 26, 2017*
1:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Long Beach State
AdvoCare Invitational 5th place game
W 85–80  5–2
 26  Watson   7  Copeland   6  Taylor  HP Field House (1,712)
Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 29, 2017*
8:15 pm, ESPNU
Boston College
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 71–62  6–2
 15  Copeland/Palmer   8  Copeland   6  Watson  Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,742)
Lincoln, NE
Dec 3, 2017
3:30 pm, FS1
at No. 3 Michigan State L 57–86  6–3
(0–1)
 15  Palmer   5  Gill/Taylor   3  Palmer  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
Dec 5, 2017
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 14 Minnesota W 78–68  7–3
(1–1)
 29  Watson   9  Watson   4  Palmer  Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,847)
Lincoln, NE
Dec 9, 2017*
1:30 pm, FS1
at Creighton
Rivalry
L 65–75  7–4
 20  Copeland   11  Copeland   5  Taylor/Watson  CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,901)
Omaha, NE
Dec 16, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 13 Kansas
Shelter Insurance Showcase
L 72–73  7–5
 14  Palmer   9  Copeland   4  Taylor  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,207)
Lincoln, NE
Dec 20, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN
UTSA W 104–94  8–5
 25  Palmer   8  Copeland   4  Copeland/Taylor  Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,032)
Lincoln, NE
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus
Delaware State W 85–68  9–5
 18  Palmer   9  Roby   6  Gill  Pinnacle Bank Arena (10,431)
Lincoln, NE
Dec 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, BTN Plus
Stetson W 71–62  10–5
 13  Copeland/Palmer   10  Borchardt/Tshimanga   4  Palmer/Taylor  Pinnacle Bank Arena (11,284)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 2, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern W 70–55  11–5
(2–1)
 19  Watson   8  Copeland   6  Watson  Allstate Arena (5,443)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 6, 2018
1:15 pm, BTN
at No. 13 Purdue L 62–74  11–6
(2–2)
 22  Palmer   7  Palmer   3  Palmer  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
Jan 9, 2018
7:30 pm, BTN
Wisconsin W 63–59  12–6
(3–2)
 18  Palmer   8  Roby   3  Watson  Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,497)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 12, 2018
6:00 pm, BTN
at Penn State L 74–76 OT 12–7
(3–3)
 21  Copeland/Watson   8  Copeland   3  Palmer  Bryce Jordan Center (6,821)
University Park, PA
Jan 15, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
Illinois W 64–63  13–7
(4–3)
 24  Palmer   10  Roby   3  Watson  Pinnacle Bank Arena (12,597)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 18, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
No. 23 Michigan W 72–52  14–7
(5–3)
 19  Palmer   7  Taylor   3  Roby  Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,589)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 22, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
at No. 13 Ohio State L 59–64  14–8
(5–4)
 34  Palmer   8  Roby   2  Palmer/Watson  Value City Arena (10,918)
Columbus, OH
Jan 24, 2018
6:00 pm, BTN
at Rutgers W 60–54  15–8
(6–4)
 23  Copeland   8  Roby   4  Palmer  Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,075)
Piscataway, NJ
Jan 27, 2018
7:00 pm, BTN
Iowa W 98–84  16–8
(7–4)
 28  Palmer   11  Copeland   5  Palmer  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,952)
Lincoln, NE
Jan 29, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at Wisconsin W 74–63  17–8
(8–4)
 28  Palmer   8  Palmer   5  Watson  Kohl Center (17,287)
Madison, WI
Feb 6, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
at Minnesota W 91–85  18–8
(9–4)
 21  Roby   8  Roby   9  Palmer  Williams Arena (11,193)
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 10, 2018
3:00 pm, BTN
Rutgers W 67-55  19–8
(10–4)
 15  Palmer   11  Roby   4  Palmer/Taylor  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,867)
Lincoln, NE
Feb 13, 2018
6:00 pm, BTN
Maryland W 70–66  20–8
(11–4)
 26  Palmer   10  Roby   5  Palmer  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,908)
Lincoln, NE
Feb 18, 2018
2:30 pm, BTN
at Illinois L 66–72  20–9
(11–5)
 17  Copeland   10  Roby   4  Palmer/Watson  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
Feb 20, 2018
8:00 pm, BTN
Indiana W 66–57  21–9
(12–5)
 15  Palmer   9  Roby/Tshimanga   5  Watson  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,859)
Lincoln, NE
Feb 25, 2018
4:15 pm, BTN
Penn State W 76–64  22–9
(13–5)
 17  Copeland   12  Copeland   4  Copeland  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,991)
Lincoln, NE
Big Ten tournament
Mar 2, 2018
2:30 pm, BTN
(4) vs. (5) No. 15 Michigan
Quarterfinals
L 58–77  22–10
 16  Palmer/Roby   7  Roby   2  Palmer/Watson  Madison Square Garden (14,260)
New York City, NY
NIT
Mar 14, 2018*
8:00 pm, ESPN2
(5) at (4) Mississippi State
First round – Baylor Bracket
L 59–66[dead link]  22–11
 13  Palmer   8  Roby   5  Palmer  Humphrey Coliseum (3,485)
Starkville, MS
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

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