It was tough watching Nebraska basketball bow out of the NCAA tournament in such a lopsided fashion to Texas A&M on Friday night. But it doesn’t ruin what was a truly memorable season for the Huskers.
The 2023-24 Nebraska basketball team beat No. 1 ranked Purdue, plus No. 3 Wisconsin. They were also just the eighth Huskers team to make the NCAA tournament. Their fate was the same, but that’s why this offseason is so important.
Fred Hoiberg, fresh off a contract extension, has the chance to build a winner at Nebraska. “There’s no reason we can’t have sustained success,” he said after Friday’s loss. He also said this offseason is important and he’s absolutely right.
The perfect big man for Nebraska
One glaring need that reared its ugly head on Friday night is the need for a rim protector and a true rugged, Big Ten big man. It just so happens, that kind of big is in the transfer portal right now. That’s former Michigan Wolverine Tarris Reed, a 6-foot-10 forward who just wrapped up his sophomore season.
Reed averaged 9.0 points last season and 7.2 rebounds. He also shot 52 percent from the field. His free throw shooting needs work. So does his touch around the basket. But he blocked 1.4 shots per game this season and is a proven producer in the Big Ten conference.
The good news is that Nebraska basketball has reached out to Reed, according to Joe Tipon of On3.com. However, they are far from the only interested in the big man originally from Missouri. He’s a Midwestern kid though and if the Huskers get him a nice NIL offer, it’s not that far-fetched that he could land in Lincoln.
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