With the return of Braden Frager, Cole Jacobsen, and Pryce Sandfort, among others, and the portal addition of Sam Orme and other targets that will almost certainly materialize in the coming days, Fred Hoiberg and the Nebraska basketball program are likely pleased with how this offseason is shaping up.
While the Huskers might be optimistic about a reloading offseason, there's one Big Ten opponent NU fans should not take lightly. The Indiana Hoosiers might be coming off a poor season, but their activity in the portal is impressive. At the moment, Darian Devries' second season looks like it could be a good one.
Nebraska basketball should keep a close eye on Indiana’s loaded portal rebuild
At the moment, Nebraska has just one portal addition in former Belmont forward Sam Orme. While analysts have put in predictions for at least one more player, one new player pales in comparison to what the Hoosiers have already done, just a little over a week since the portal opened.
The crowning jewel of Indiana's portal class is Markus Burton. The former Notre Dame star won ACC freshman of the year two years ago, showing he's a scoring threat but can also handle the point. He's also a defensive ace. In his freshman season, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.
Burton was even better in 2024-25 but played only 10 games this past season after suffering an injury. Assuming he's healthy by November, he'll be one of the best players in the Big Ten. And then there's the five other players the Hoosiers have signed already.
Markus Burton is just the tip of the iceberg for Indiana against Nebraska
Bryce Lindsay from Villanova, Aiden Sherrill from Alabama, Samet Yigitoglu (a 7-foot-2 center) from SMU, Darren Harris from Duke and Jaeden Mustaf from Georgia Tech have already rebuilt Indiana's roster. That every player comes from a program used to competing for the Big Dance is just another interesting wrinkle.
There's plenty of caveats coming along with what the Hoosiers are doing. The team has to mesh. The Huskers have had their own assumption at an All-Star roster that turned out terribly.
Still, there isn't a Big Ten team that has improved its roster so completely than Indiana so far this offseason. Nebraska needs to be on high alert.
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