Friday Flakes: Nebraska Basketball Earning Respect – Ranked in Way-Too-Early Top 25

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 19: Head coach Fred Hoiberg of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Braden Frager #5 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrate their win against the Troy Trojans in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images We have been there time and time again. Our favorite team in one of our favorite sports is left out of the way-to-early Top 25. We have rationalized our way into think that our team led by Scott Frost and Adrian Martine should be in preseason Top 25.

class="has-text-align-none">The good old days.

class="has-text-align-none">Well fast forward to the better old days as some of the Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings are coming out for college basketball and based off of my sports fan PTSD I expected Nebraska basketball to be left out of most, if not all, Top 25 lists.

class="has-text-align-none">It was easy to see why.

class="has-text-align-none">In 2025-2026, Nebraska basketball had the best season in program history and maybe it was that they lucked into having the right combination of players at the right time. Nebraska lost Reink Mast, Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg to eligibility. They also lost an athletic big man in Berke Buyuktuncel to Vanderbilt of all teams through the transfer portal.

class="has-text-align-none">That is four starters from the best team in the history of the program that will not be coming back.

class="has-text-align-none">Well apparently Fred Hoiberg and Co. are starting to receive some deserved respect. Jeff Borzello, of ESPN.com, has Nebraska ranked #22 in the preseason poll.

class="has-text-align-none">That is just one of the way-too-early preseason polls that have Nebraska ranked. Not all of them have Nebraska in the Top 25, which should be expected, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Fred Hoiberg getting some of his due.

class="has-text-align-none">As far as Borzello’s Top 25, the other Big Ten teams in his ranking are: Michigan (#3), Illinois (#4), Michigan State (#8), and USC (#12). He had Purdue, Indiana and UCLA in his next five out.

class="has-text-align-none">On a related note, Borzello has Vanderbilt ranked 19th and does not have Berke in his projected starting lineup.

Nebraska Welcomes Several Key Official Visitors This Weekend Nebraska added six commitments from last weekend’s official visitors. No one expects those numbers again this weekend, but there are several recruits who play positions of need in the 2027 class. The Huskers pulled off a big flip last weekend and will have another opportunity, hosting a couple of their top remaining cornerback and interior offensive line targets.

class="has-text-align-none">Here is your official visitor preview for Nebraska this weekend:

class="has-text-align-none">Ranking the Big Ten: Interior Defensive Line As the 2026 college football season quickly approaches, it is time to look at the top players at each position in the Big Ten.

class="has-text-align-none">We will continue our Ranking the Big Ten series with a look at the interior defensive line. As expected, the top five defensive tackles are all part of programs that win consistently.

class="has-text-align-none">Husker O-lineman JuJu Marks transferring to play hoops at JUCO level A Husker offensive lineman will continue his athletic career elsewhere. In a different sport too.

class="has-text-align-none">JuJu Marks announced Thursday on Instagram that he’s going to play basketball at Johnson County (Kan.) Junior College.

class="has-text-align-none">“Making my way back to the top,” he posted in making the announcement.

class="has-text-align-none">NBA Finals 2026: Intel on Knicks-Spurs, Giannis and a flopping fix Wednesday night’s unforgettable Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs might make it a bit difficult to remember that the rest of the league’s business continues unabated.

class="has-text-align-none">But while the basketball world waits to see whether the Knicks can end their 53-year championship drought Saturday in Game 5 (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), the league calendar continues to barrel toward the draft and free agency.

class="has-text-align-none">In video, Texas Tech officials defend school, Brendan Sorsby In a 20-plus-minute video released Thursday night, Texas Tech officials defended their integrity and reiterated their support for Brendan Sorsby amid widespread criticism from the rest of the Big 12 Conference and other corners of college sports to the likelihood of the quarterback playing for the Red Raiders this fall.

This is the best edit. No commentary. Just the sound of The Garden. pic.twitter.com/Zyi5ogpWYp

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