Nebraska basketball exodus continues with third portal entry

At some point, the amount of players who have departed the Nebraska basketball program who were thought to have a chance at contributing is going to get a bit concerning. I’d say one more player who had a chance to get decent playing time next year, leaving instead and we can start wondering just what is going on.

For now, as of Tuesday night, three Huskers are expected to look for greener pastures. Blaise Keita is the third Nebraska basketball player to reportedly enter his name in the record since the team’s season came to a crashing halt last Friday night. 

Keita joined Eli Rice and Ramel Lloyd Jr as deciding to ply their trade elsewhere for the 2024-2025 season. The question continues to circle around the Huskers as to whether this is a group of players who don’t believe they’ll be given the chance to contribute, or a push coming for the team’s head coach.

Fred Hoiberg hasn’t been shy about reshaping his squad in the form he sees as needed to win under his program. The last time he did it to any real degree was his first season in Lincoln. However, after entering the NCAA tournament as a favorite to make some noise, they very much didn’t.

Is it possible Hoiberg has formulated a plan that will allow him to reshape the roster to better go up against the athleticicism of the Texas A&Ms of the world?

Nebraska basketball exodus continues with another portal entry

Of the three players that have now entered the portal since the beginning of their offseason, Blaise Keita has seen the most action. The forward appeared in 21 games and started five, though he certainly didn’t put up eye-popping numbers.

His playing time was also hampered by an injury in the middle of the season that saw him miss the Nebraska basketball team’s final 15 games of the season.