Not Ready to Say Goodbye

The pain and heartache from Nebraska’s 77-71 loss in the Sweet 16 still stings. I suspect it will continue for a while. The cruelty of the NCAA Tournament is the suddenness in which it ends for players and fans. That is especially true for the 2025-26 Huskers.

This has been – without a doubt – my favorite Nebrasketball team of all time. They were truly better than the sum of their parts. And yet, it is those individual parts and pieces that made this team so very special. Guys who not only knew their roles, but embraced them. Sixteen guys who strived to make everyone around them better.

When one (or more) of their teammates was having an off night, you could usually count on somebody else stepping up to help carry the load. They were unselfish and joyful and just an absolute delight to watch.

I’m not ready to say goodbye.

So, before we close the door on this special group, I want to pass the ball around one more time and offer some well-earned praise.

Rienk Mast

I know many people like to point to Keisei Tominaga going on a February heater as the point where the program turned the corner from loser to winner. But I believe it started with Fred Hoiberg’s decision to run the offense through Derrick Walker as an experimental point guard / big man hybrid. It shouldn’t have worked, but it totally did. Walker either drove to the hoop or found open shooters (such as Tominaga) and Nebraska started to take off.

When Walker graduated, I assumed that offensive wrinkle was gone. But then Rienk Mast stepped onto the court. He was taller, a much better shooter from outside, and better passer. Mast was a big reason Nebraska made the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24, despite being limited by a bad knee.

Mast missed the entire 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery. His absence showed on the court as Nebraska failed to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. After a long and grueling rehabilitation process, Mast returned this season better than ever. Critics would decry his inconsistency, lack of dunks, or the gallons of perspiration he generated each game. I don’t care. Rienk Mast has been the backbone of this team, and his departure might leave the biggest hole.

Sam Hoiberg

Nebraska fans have always had a soft spot in their hearts for in-state walk-ons who earn their playing time through hustle and heart. There is an entire mythos in the football program dedicated to walk-ons who became stars. But in the annuls of the basketball program, few – if any – can match what Sam did.

He rebounds better than any 5-11 (and three quarters!) guy I’ve ever seen. He has lightning quick reflexes to steal and deflect the ball. He knows when to drive fearlessly to the hoop and when to kick it to an open shooter. He was one of the league leaders in DSUITBSP (Doesn’t Show Up In The Box Score Plays).

Sam Hoiberg vs Iowa in Sweet 16 — Sam Hoiberg | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Yes, Sam is the coach’s kid. But he was no nepotism charity case. From his first minutes back in 2022-23, Sam Hoiberg did everything he could to prove to the world what he knew all along: He belonged on this stage.

Sam was the undeniable heart of this team. How many times did he make a big play when Nebraska needed it the most? You could easily convince me that he was the most consistent player over the course of the long season, if not the outright MVP.

Pryce Sandfort

Speaking of the team MVP, how about Pryce Sandfort?

Remember two years ago when we all said “You know, if Keisei gets hot in the tournament, Nebraska could make a run.” Pryce Sandfort turned that into reality. In three NCAA tournament games, Sandfort made 16 threes, and shot 57% from behind the arc. His hot shooting got Nebraska to the Sweet 16, and nearly got them to the Elite 8.

How quick is his release? In the time it takes to say his name, Sandfort can catch and shoot a three, and be halfway down court on defense. But he’s so much more than a lethal sniper. He showed to ability to slash, drive, and make tough shots in the paint. I can’t wait to see what he adds to his game over the summer.

Jamarques Lawrence

Think about what typically happens when a starter from the football team enters the transfer portal. Fans flock to social media to say how much that guy sucked and how we’ll be better off without him. Sometimes that player will get to his new school and speak ill of Nebraska, his teammates, or the fans. Football fans can think of multiple examples of this happening.

But that was not the case with Jamarques. He showed that it is possible to come home again, and be better than when you left.

Jamarques Lawrence vs Troy, NCAA Tournament — Jamarques Lawrence | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Between his game-winner at Illinois, the domination at Indiana, and finding (and feeding) the hot hand every night, Lawrence more than made his mark on this team.

The biggest lesson – for players and for fans – is in not burning bridges. It would have been easy for Husker fans to trash Lawrence when he left, or for J-Law to bad mouth Nebraska to the Rhode Island media.

But neither of those things happened. And with that mutual respect in place, the door remained open for his return. I’m glad he came home. This season doesn’t happen without him.

Berke Büyüktuncel

BK is easily the most interesting man on this team. On the court, he’s an unselfish workhorse, willing to do the dirty work to make this team better. Screens, box outs, defense, fighting for loose balls, whatever. No task is below him. He rivals Sam Hoiberg for the team lead in DSUITBSP. And yet, he had a triple double earlier this season – just the third in the 3,100+ games in school history.

Berke is also a fiery competitor. He has the rare ability to spark a sleepy crowd into a raging cauldron of noise. One of the lasting images from the season was him walking off the court after taking a Badger elbow to the mouth. As blood ran down his chin, he fired up the Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Berke Büyüktuncel vs Vanderbilt, NCAA Tournament — Berke Büyüktuncel | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To top it off, Berke is absolutely hilarious. For the most part, we only get small snippets of his boyish personality – funny cameos in videos, parading around in Herbie Husker’s gigantic red cowboy hat, and more. I sat near the Nebraska bench for one of the non-conference games and laughed at how he had to high five every single person on the bench – and I mean everybody – each time he subbed out of the game. I want every Nebraska team for the rest of my life to have a Berke Büyüktuncel.

As disappointed as I am to see the seniors leave, I’m excited to see what Berke has in store for his senior season. I see a player who is ready to take a step forward in his game, and share more of his personality with the world.

Braden Frager

Anybody who has ever had a puppy can relate to Frager’s redshirt freshman season.

Puppies – especially those from larger breeds – are all limbs and chaos going a million miles an hour. That’s Frager, except with a poster-worthy dunk at the end. Puppies love to yap and annoy other dogs. Frager was pretty good at that too. Sometimes, a pup will make mistakes that make you question a lot of things. We saw that as well.

But toward the end of a puppy’s first year, you start to see it all come together. The gangly chaos is gradually replaced by physical maturity, and positive habits from training start to become routine. One does not need to “know ball” to see that Frager has the goods to become a special player.

When former Husker Isaiah Roby was an underclassman, the fan and media cliché was always “does he know how good he can be?” I have not heard that line uttered about Braden Frager. I suspect Frager knows how good he can be. Heck, he was ready to tell the world about it after his layup to send Nebraska to the Sweet 16.

Next comes unlocking and channeling that massive potential.

Cale Jacobsen

Remember the College Basketball Crown? A Nebraska team that stumbled and bumbled into the end of their regular season got a second life in a silly tournament in Las Vegas. That squad made the most of the opportunity, winning a championship that was the spark for the 20-0 start to this season.

Few Huskers took advantage of the Crown run more than Cale Jacobsen. He elevated himself from a “welp, Nebraska is in foul trouble and we need somebody to give us some minutes” guy into a reliable and valued contributor. Jacobsen – like many of his teammates – is a great example of the development and growth that occurs within Fred Hoiberg’s program.

I have seen many people smarter than me suggest that Jacobsen is due for a Sam Hoiberg-esque breakout in his senior season. I can absolutely see that happening.

The rest of the fellas

One of the great “what if” questions is what the season would have looked like if Connor Essegian does not get hurt in November. How many times would have an extra ballhandler and/or outside shooter have come in handy? It had to be a devastating injury for him. But Essegian leaned on his faith and made the most of his new roles as cheerleader, supportive ear, and social media content creator. I can’t wait to see him back on the court next fall.

I know it was fun to joke about Jared Garcia getting into a game and saying “It’s Jared Garcia time!” as he launched a shot the second the ball touched his hands. But I always thought back to the great profile I read about him and his young daughter. I can’t help but root for the guy.

Jared Garcia vs Purdue — Jared Garcia | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Nebrasketball rosters of my lifetime have been littered with big men who can graciously referred to as “projects”. As one of my college friends liked to say whenever the 6-11 Dan Heimos got in the game, “Well, you can’t teach tall.” The jury is still out on if Leo Curtis is a project, or a legit player who just needs to spend his summer going between the weightroom and training table. Unlike some of those previous projects, Curtis was ready to go whenever his name was called. At Michigan, against Vanderbilt in the second round, or in mop-up duty, Curtis looked like a guy who more than capable of contributing on the big stage.

I’m always fascinated by a guy like Kendall Blue. He was a three-year starter at St. Thomas (MN) and scored over 1,000 points. I’m guessing when he transferred to Nebraska, the plan was not to spend the majority of the season on the bench, averaging 0.7 points per game. But everything I’ve seen and heard tells me that Blue was an exceptional teammate. Does he have regrets? Or does the experience of being a part of a Sweet 16 team make everything worth it?

The rest of roster – Will Cooper, Justin Bolis, Quentin Rhymes, Ugnius Jaruševicius, and Henry Burt – didn’t see a ton of time on the court. But I guarantee their contributions – in the practice gym, in the locker room, and on the bench – played a bigger role in Nebraska’s success than we’ll ever know.

This team was a special, special group. But there’s one more guy I want to talk about.

Kent Pavelka

Tom Osborne is the most respected person to be associated with Nebraska athletics In my 50 years as a Husker fan. But Kent Pavelka might be the most universally beloved.

As a long-suffering Nebraska basketball fan, I wanted that first tournament win. Badly. I wanted to shed the program’s ugly asterisk. I wanted a sip of the sweet success that seemingly every other school had tasted.

But mostly, I wanted it for K.P. And I’d be willing to wager I was not the only one who felt that way.

Kent Pavelka and Sam Hoiberg after Nebraska's second-round win over Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament. | @KentPavelka on X

Listening to Kent call Nebraska games is an absolute joy. The attention to detail, the excitement, and his growing collection of signature calls and phrases. You could tell just how much he loved this team, and that he was having the time of his life* behind the microphone.

*Remember, this is a 50-year broadcasting career that has included calling two national championship victories, and every play of the greatest team in college football history.

Pavelka and first-year analyst Jeff Smith had tremendous chemistry and played well of each other. After a lifetime of calling some truly mediocre (to awful) basketball, I’m absolutely delighted that Kent Pavelka was behind the mic for this season.

And I can’t wait for them to do it again next season.

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