One of the guys that Nebraska Basketball fans have been dreaming about since the season ended is suddenly available. The question now is whether or not Chucky Hepburn coming home can turn from dream to reality, or whether his departure from Wisconsin could turn into a nightmare for the rest of the Big Ten.
Hepburn reportedly entered the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon and it took no time at all for Nebraska Basketball followers to start wondering what it might mean. The good news here, is that it doesn’t feel like Husker fans are going to have to wait to long to get the answer.
There were rumors that the Nebraska native might be looking to leave the Wisconsin Badgers not long after their season ended abruptly in the NCAA Tournament. However, the original ideas that the star guard was leaving died down as weeks went by and he was still in Madison.
While the Cornhuskers are deep into their roster rebuild, it would certainly make sense if Fred Hoiberg and company changed some things up if Hepburn is really considering coming back home and playing in Lincoln. There’s a twist here, and it’s one that explains an earlier surprise from Monday.
Nebraska basketball fans hoping Chucky Hepburn could come ‘home’
Since Omaha’s Frankie Fidler entered the portal, there has been a lot of buzz that he and his former Bellevue West teammate might want to play together in the college ranks. For a while, it seemed that the best bet for that to happen would be at Wisconsin.
But then Monday came. The day that Fidler was expected to announce what school he was transferring to. And Fidler pushed back the announcement. It seems likely that if Fidler was planning on picking Wisconsin, he might have gotten a heads up from Hepburn.
If that was the reason for the delay, it might not be a good thing for Nebraska Basketball. On the same day that Hepburn entered the portal, Michigan State officially made it clear they’re looking for a new point guard. Michigan State just happens to be one of Fidler’s finalists, alongside Nebraska, Wisconsin and Creighton.
There’s another wrinkle here if Hepburn wants to team up with a former teammate. William Kyle is also currently in the transfer portal. He’s looked at the Nebraska Basketball program as one of his potential landing spots, however, Lincoln seems unlikely to be his top spot.
The bottom line here is that if there is an effort by the Nebraska Basketball program to bring Chucky Hepburn home, it likely doesn’t have a great shot. But this isn’t one you can afford to not even try.