Not long since the surprise (to the fans at least) departure of Berke Buyuktuncel, Nebraska basketball appears poised to land his replacement. Additionally, while Sam Orme compiled his numbers at a lower level than the Big Ten, he’s got the statistics that could end up making him an upgrade, at least in the box score.
Rivals’ Robin Washut put in the first prediction for the Huskers to add a player from the Transfer Portal after watching three players so far leave. Not only did the analyst predict that Orme would commit to the Cornhuskers, but his 90% percent certainly is much higher than these predictions usually come in. As a general rule, analysts set their certainty at 60% in order to hedge their bets.
Orme is expected to visit Nebraska this weekend, and judging by Washut’s prediction, he could pull the trigger on a transfer before leaving Lincoln. If that happens, it would signal that Fred Hoiberg’s rebuild has officially commenced and that his first win of the portal season beat out schools like Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Clemson.
Why Sam Orme looks like a strong Nebraska basketball fit in the Transfer Portal
Sam Orme would also bring the Cornhuskers a power forward who offers a nice fit in Hoiberg’s offense. This past season, the potential newest addition to NU averaged 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He also hit nearly 40% of his shots from beyond the three-point line (48-121). He also shot 56% from the field.
The big question for the Huskers is whether the former Belmont Bruin can replicate those numbers in a Major conference. However, as far as the first replacement for either Rienk Mast or Berke, the Huskers could do much worse.
The Carmel, Indiana, native stands 6-foot-9 and weighs 220 pounds. He doesn’t have the size or bulk of Mast or Berke, but could be more of an outside threat than either one of them.
Nebraska is expected to land several big men in this Transfer Portal cycle. Should Sam Orme be the first, it could be a very good sign of a plan coming together for another run in the NCAA Tournament.