A new look Nebraska Cornhusker Men’s basketball team starts the 2019-2020 season Tuesday Night as they take on UC Riverside at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The team, led by first year head coach Fred Hoiberg returns only two players, one of whom sat out last year due to transfer rules, off a team that finished 19-17 last season under Tim Miles.
The Huskers start of the season playing four mid-major programs who combined to win 43 percent of their games last season. Before facing Washington State in the first round of the Cayman Islands Classic on November 25th. Hoiberg will find out out early who he can trust to be on the floor in late game situations.
“We haven’t been in a close game late,” Hoiberg said. “But until you get out there in a real game situation, you don’t know who those guys you can have out on the floor.
One of the returning players Thorir Thorbjarnarson averaged two points per game last season, appearing in 25 of the 36 games played. He looks to take on a leadership role on a team that welcomes 14 newcomers, including high energy players Jervay Green and Haanif Cheatham.
Cheatham, a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, is really nervous for his first official game as Husker.
“It’s going to be a great experience,” Cheatham said. “We’re going to be a little anxious. But we just have to go back to our training.
The Nebraska team has no players above 6-foot-9 inches as they look to improve last year’s team that gave up 67 points a game. They are going to need to score enough points to counter that deficiency in height, from players like Green and Cheatham, who averaged 23.6 and 13.2 points per game last year before transferring to Nebraska.
With a new coach and nearly all new players, fans may need to be patient this season. The Big Ten is stronger than ever as Hoiberg prepares his first Huskers team. The man who was once known as the Mayor of Ames, Iowa hopes to get the keys to his new home city sooner than later.
