Now that the best season in Nebraska basketball history is officially over, it’s time to turn to rebuilding and reloading for a repeat trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers are intimately familiar with Thomas Dowd, one big man who could assist in that reloading.
Fred Hoiberg’s team locked horns with Dowd just last month en route to their first NCAA Tournament win in the school’s history. Now that the former Troy Trojans has announced his intent to hit the Transfer Portal, the Huskers should be one of his first phone calls.
The 6-foot-8 Dowd was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference pick this past season, when he scored 14.4 points per game and led the conference with an average of 10.1 rebounds. The Dothan, Alabama native has one year of eligibility remaining. Is it possible he could spend that final season with Nebraska?
NEW: Troy guard Thomas Dowd plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) March 31, 2026
Dowd averaged 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game this past season.https://t.co/MorD1lSVIl pic.twitter.com/fIKFZCTZXC
Thomas Dowd could be an ideal Nebraska basketball transfer portal target after Troy exit
It’s possible the Huskers have a bit of an in with Dowd, beyond the fact that they know him from the first round of the Big Dance. Dowd’s decision came after Troy head coach Scott Cross left for Georgia Tech following back-to-back Sun Belt championships and NCAA tournament appearances. On Sunday, the Trojans hired North Carolina State assistant Adam Howard as Cross’s replacement.
Howard was most recently with the Wolfpack, but before that, he spent three years as Hoiberg’s assistant with Nebraska. Obviously, Howard and Dowd don’t know each other all that well, but he could at least let the player know all the positives that come along with playing for the Huskers.
With Rienk Mast out of eligibility, Hoiberg will look for a few guys who can pound the boards. Despite struggling against NU (1-for-11 from the field) in the NCAA Tournament, Dowd still managed to haul down 9 rebounds. That performance alone could demonstrate to NU’s head coach the 6-foot-8 forward might be huge, but he knows how to use his body to get position.
The Nebraska basketball team likely has a long laundry list of targets to kick the tires on this spring. Thomas Dowd could be among the most ideal.