How Michigan and Nebraska Used the Transfer Portal to Reach the Top 5

Michigan’s athletic rebuild and Nebraska’s chemistry-driven approach highlight how multiple portal strategies can produce elite results. Now the two meet in a rare top-five showdown where their contrasting portal philosophies will be on full display.

Nebraska's historic year follows one of the more strategic offseasons in Fred Hoiberg's tenure. The project has another litmus test Tuesday night against No. 3 Michigan. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

It’s officially game day – No. 3 Michigan hosting No. 5 Nebraska. It’s a top-five showdown nobody saw coming this season, unless you kept somewhat of a close eye on the transfer portal over the past offseason.

However, the Wolverines and Huskers have been built with distinctly different blueprints, and that contrast is already evident in how each head coach describes their upcoming opponent.

“This team — they’re scary,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said of Michigan during his Monday press conference. “It looks like an NBA team out on the court with the size, with the speed and with the athleticism.”

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg called Michigan "scary" during his Monday press conference. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Hoiberg’s assessment is backed by the numbers. Michigan ranks in the top three nationally in transition rate and top five in transition efficiency, meaning not only do the Wolverines push the ball relentlessly, they convert those possessions at an elite level. Much like what’s been seen in Lincoln, the portal has allowed first-year Michigan head coach Dusty May to rapidly reshape his roster into one of the most physically imposing groups in the Big Ten.

“They’re so powerful,” Hoiberg said. “Gonzaga is 19-1, and their one loss was to Michigan by 40. It’s just what they’re doing right now.”

Michigan’s roster construction reflects that dominance. The Wolverines’ 2025 transfer portal class ranked 16th nationally on many rankings, placing them among the country’s most aggressive and impactful portal rebuilds. Length, rim protection and multi-positional athleticism became priorities, producing a team Hoiberg called “one of the best shot blocking teams in the country” and “the best chase down block team I’ve ever seen in college.”

“You might think you have an advantage,” Hoiberg said. “They’re coming. They’re flying down, and you’ve really got to be smart. You’ve got to know who’s coming back from the second wave.”

Michigan's only loss of the year came in a 91-88 loss to Wisconsin back on January 10. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said it took a "perfect" night from Wisconsin to pull off the upset. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That speed and length feed directly into Michigan’s offensive identity. Transition offense is their engine as the Wolverines pressure the rim early, collapse defenses and force rotations that lead to open perimeter looks. When teams overcommit to the paint, Michigan’s shooters punish the gaps.

While all of that seems like a tall task for Hoiberg and his squad, Dusty May sees a similar level of complexity on the other bench.

“The first thing that stands out other than how hard they play is their role definition,” May said of Nebraska during a Monday media opportunity. “They all bring their own special sauce to the equation and really function well as a team.”

Michigan coach Dusty May praised Nebraska's players Monday, crediting how well each player executes their roles. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Nebraska’s portal approach this season has been much more selective than Michigan’s full-scale rebuild. The Cornhuskers’ combined recruiting and transfer class ranked 84th nationally on many of those same sources, which means NU certainly entered under the radar this season.

The Husker offseason reflected an emphasis on targeted additions rather than wholesale roster turnover. Instead of chasing pure athletic upside, Nebraska prioritized experience, fit and skill spacing.

“You look at Sandfort and we knew how good he was because of how he played against us when he was at Iowa last year,” May said. “Then you factor in Berke from UCLA, Rienk Mast. Nebraska was on the verge last year of having a team that could advance in the NCAA Tournament, and with him they would have. It’s a good team.”

Scoring has been hard to come by for Rienk Mast in recent games, but it's what he's been doing without the ball that's equally effective. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Rienk Mast has become the centerpiece of Nebraska’s attack, but it hasn’t necessarily been on the scoreboard over the past few outings. In Nebraska’s 76-57 win over Minnesota last weekend, Mast had just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting. The game before that was Nebraska’s 77-58 win over Northwestern, and Mast had just nine points

Hoiberg emphasized that Mast’s influence goes far beyond scoring.

“Whether Rienk’s making shots or not, you see the impact he has on the floor,” Hoiberg said. “There’s so much attention to Rienk and how you’re going to guard him. It forces teams to defend in different ways than maybe their normal base defense.”

That defensive gravity is central to Nebraska’s offensive spacing. When opponents switch onto Mast or send extra help, Nebraska’s shooters benefit.

“I think that’s what happened at Minnesota,” Hoiberg said. “A lot of that is because the attention to Rienk. Are you going to switch off him and then they get confused and then Pryce gets open for a shot.”

Pryce Sandfort was Nebraska's leading scorer for the 4th-straight game in NU's win over Minnesota this past Saturday. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort is the golden egg of Nebraska’s portal overhaul from this past season. He’s led the team in scoring for four straight games, surpassing 20 points in all four of them. He’s Nebraska’s leading scorer throughout their 20-0 start to the season, and he’s far from the only threat once the Huskers take the floor.

Nebraska’s portal additions have helped fuel one of the nation’s most aggressive transition shooting profiles. According to May, Nebraska ranks among the national leaders in transition three-point attempts.

“I think they might be number one in the country in transition three-point shots,” May said. “They don’t really slow it down. Once they get into half-court, they cut well, they space the floor.”

That spacing is what creates a unique defensive challenge for all of the Huskers’ opponents this season. Nebraska’s five-out spacing forces opponents to make decisions earlier in possessions.

Michigan coach Dusty May knows his team will need to be disciplined offensively to outpace Nebraska Tuesday night. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

“If you run back to the paint in transition defense, you’re going to be looking around to find someone to guard, and we’re going to be off-balance all night,” May said

While Michigan’s portal build emphasizes size and rim protection, Nebraska’s emphasizes spacing, pace and decision-making. Both approaches rely on limiting turnovers to maximize strengths.

“If we’re throwing it all over the gym and we’re not getting shots, it affects our team mojo,” May said. “We’re a good rebounding team, a good shooting team, so the turnovers negate two things that you’re really good at.”

Hoiberg echoed that concern from Nebraska’s perspective.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg knows his team will need to be dialed in from the opening tip to keep up with No. 3 Michigan. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“We have to take care of the ball,” Hoiberg said. “It’s something we’ve been good at, but they’re really good at forcing turnovers.”

Turnovers are particularly costly against Michigan, which turns live-ball miscues into immediate scoring chances. Nebraska’s transition defense becomes the first line of survival, much like it was in their upset earlier this season of then-No. 9 Michigan State. At that time, Hoiberg said the Spartans might be the fastest transition team they’d face all season.

“We’ve got to get back,” Hoiberg said. “It sounds pretty darn simple, but that’s what it is. You’ve got to get back, you’ve got to load. You’ve got to take away the rim. If you do that, then that opens up three-point shots for some really elite shooters as well. You’ve really got to be smart.”

Beyond X’s and O’s, Nebraska’s rise has been fueled by culture as much as roster moves. Hoiberg repeatedly pointed to accountability as the defining trait of this group. That internal leadership was on display during Nebraska’s comeback against Minnesota, where Hoiberg admitted the first half effort fell short.

Nebraska players caught an earful at halftime Saturday after trailing by six to a Minnesota team that wanted it more. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

“I thought Minnesota played harder than us in the first half,” he said. “That was the disappointing thing to me. That was a disappointing thing to our staff. We found a way to regroup. We found a way to continue to go.”

May sees that maturity when studying Nebraska on film.

“They’re fun to watch, they’re fun to scout,” he said. “They’re as disciplined, as well-coached as anyone in our conference.”

Michigan, meanwhile, is navigating the expectations that come with a rapid portal-fueled rise. National rankings and championship projections follow the Wolverines, something Hoiberg cautioned against from Nebraska’s side. NU’s No. 5 ranking is the highest in program history, and when asked about it Monday, Hoiberg kept his response even-keeled.

“I don’t know,” Hoiberg said of Nebraska’s own ranking. “We’ve just got to move on to the next. Don’t let it poison you. It’s great. It’s a great accomplishment, but it doesn’t mean anything until the end of the year.”

Fred Hoiberg said he doesn't want his team's No. 5 national ranking to poison them, citing end of the year goals. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

May carries similar urgency on his end.

“100% of our focus is on Tuesday,” he said. “For a number of reasons, it’s a big game, but most importantly, we want to get back to playing our brand of basketball. (Nebraska has) earned the right to be a potential number one seed and Big Ten Champion. It’s on us to take care of business at home.”

As both teams prepare, the underlying storyline remains the same: two programs built through the portal, but assembled with different priorities. Michigan chased physical dominance and athletic ceiling. Nebraska chased chemistry, spacing and veteran reliability.

There’s a common phrase that translates across all sports – games aren’t played on paper. If they are, Nebraska is mismatched athletically across the board. Michigan is bigger, faster, stronger – pick whatever word you want. However, it’s not the first time that’s been the case this season, and NU’s been able to find the recipe needed to come out on top.

Last season, No. 15 Michigan beat Nebraska 49-46 in a low-scoring affair. This season, the rosters look vastly different. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

In the transfer era, perfection is rarely built overnight. Michigan and Nebraska prove it can be built in different ways — and that success now depends not just on who you bring in, but how those pieces are molded into execution.

“We’re going to have to be perfect,” he said. “That’s what it takes to play against a team like this, and that still may not be good enough.”

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