Nebraska Forward Berke Büyüktuncel Enters the Transfer Portal

The second day of the transfer portal window has brought the first major domino for Nebraska men's basketball.

Husker forward Berke Büyüktuncel has entered the portal, which runs for 15 days this month. He joins Quentin Rhymes and Justin Bolis in exiting the program with eligibility remaining.

Büyüktuncel posted on social media that "the time has come for a new chapter."

"I’m beyond thankful to Coach Hoiberg — not only an exceptional coach, but one of the best human beings I’ve had the privilege to learn from — along with our entire staff, my teammates and our incredible fans," Büyüktuncel said.

Büyüktuncel made 61 starts across 64 games over two seasons in Lincoln. This year he averaged 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 block her game. Although his shooting was down on three-point attempts, he made 57.1% of his shots inside the arc.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) celebrates during a first-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska and Troy at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His contributions to Nebrasketball's record season extended beyond the stat sheet. Büyüktuncel's defense and energy routinely gave the team and Husker fans a boost at much-needed moments throughout the 28-7 campaign, culminating in a Sweet 16 appearance.

During his first season at Nebraska, Büyüktuncel averaged 6.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.6 blocks a game.

Büyüktuncel began his collegiate career at UCLA. As a true freshman, he appeared in 26 games, garnering eight starts. He averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest.

Nebraska's Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with fans following a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Out of Türkiye, Büyüktuncel was rated the No. 36 player in the class of 2023 by 24/7 Sports, while he was rated by ESPN.com as the No. 2 international player to enter college basketball in 2023-24. made his Turkish senior national team debut at age 18 at the 2023 World Cup qualifier and has represented Türkiye in numerous international competitions.

Büyüktuncel's departure is the first major loss for Nebrasketball among potential returners. However, he could simply be testing the market to maximize his name, image, and likeness potential, with a return to Lincoln still on the table. On Tuesday, he even

Berke Büyüktuncel displays a tattoo in honor of Nebrasketball's program record 28-7 campaign in 2025-26. | @berkebuyuktuncel/Instagram

Still, it is much easier to stay at a place without entering the portal than to remove yourself from is and come back.

The loss of Büyüktuncel would leave just one returning starter on the Husker roster: Pryce Sandfort. Guards Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg and forward Rienk Mast have all exhausted their eligibility.

In his first season in Lincoln, Sandfort torched the nets for a program record in single-season made three-pointers. He would go on to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors and play a major role in Nebrasketball's NCAA Tournament run.

Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort celebrates a 3-point basket during a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Replacing Büyüktuncel would need to be done through the portal, with no immediate starter likely to come from those returning. The most likely - although still unlikely - candidate on the roster at this moment is Leo Curtis. As a true freshman, the 7-foot-2 Iceland native appeared in 17 games, averaging less than four minutes per game. He did see 13 minutes at eventual national champion Michigan and scored two points on a dunk against Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg spoke earlier this week about what he wants out of the transfer portal, where he now has six spots to fill. At the top of his list was fit.

"First of all, they have to fit the culture," Hoiberg said. "They have to fit with the group of guys that we're gonna have coming back."

Those guys coming back currently mean just Sandfort, Frager, main rotation piece Cale Jacobsen, and the potential returns from injury for Connor Essegian and Ugnius Jaruševičius.

"(Essegian) is probably another two to three weeks from being cleared," Hoiberg said. "(Uggy) is still battling, going through the rehab process."

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg huddles with the team during a practice session ahead of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Büyüktuncel also fits something that has made Hoiberg teams click without a true point guard, being a high-IQ big who was consistently improving his vision and passing. That's something that needs to be replaced with Mast running out of eligibility.

"We do need help in that area," Hoiberg said. "We're gonna identify those players that we feel fit from that standpoint. But if you can get the point forward, or the hybrid type big, maybe that pure point isn't quite as important."

Whether Büyüktuncel returns or goes elsewhere, Hoiberg believes the system in Lincoln is attractive.

"It was an exciting style of play (on offense). It is a defense that is a team-oriented, protecting of players. It's attractive to a lot of players," Hoiberg said.

The portal window runs through April 21.

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