The 2019–20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team represented the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
in the
2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 5, 2019. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and the season concluded prematurely on March 12, 2020. The 2020 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was sch ...
. The Cornhuskers were led by first-year coach head coach
Fred Hoiberg and play their home games at
Pinnacle Bank Arena in
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
as members of the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
. They finished the season 7–25, 2–18 in
Big Ten play to finish in last place. They lost to
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
in the first round of the 2020 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, Big Ten tournament which was subsequently canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the final game of the season against Indiana, Fred Hoiberg appeared ill during the game, left the game in the second half, and was taken to the hospital. He was tested for COVID-19 due to the ongoing pandemic, but he was diagnosed with influenza. As a result of Hoiberg's sickness, the team was quarantined in the locker room following the Indiana game for a short period of time.
Previous season
The 2018–19 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team, Cornhuskers finished the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, 2017–18 season 19–17, 6–14 in 2018–19 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season, Big Ten play to finish second-to-last. As the No. 13 seed in the 2019 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament, Big Ten tournament, they made a run but lost in the quarterfinals to 2018–19 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Wisconsin. Despite winning 13 Big Ten games, the Cornhuskers received a bid to the 2019 National Invitation Tournament, National Invitation Tournament. They won in the first round of the NIT to 2018–19 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team, Mississippi State but lost in the second round to 2018–19 TCU Horned Frogs men's basketball team, TCU.
Following the season, head coach Tim Miles was fired, having lead the team after seven seasons. Four days later, the school hired former Chicago Bulls' head coach Fred Hoiberg as the next head coach of the program.
Offseason
Due to a change in coaching staff, Nebraska experienced a near-complete overhaul of its roster, retaining only two players from the previous season (only one of which had seen any playing time for Nebraska). The rebuilt team took an exhibition trip to Italy; a documentary on the trip was filmed by the Big Ten Network.
Departures
Incoming transfers
Other arrivals
Noah Vedral and Brant Banks, two members of the 2020 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Nebraska Cornhuskers football team joined the team as emergency back-ups prior to the 2020 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament due to depth issues.
Recruiting classes
2019 recruiting class
Roster
Schedule and results
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Foreign exhibition tour
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!colspan=9 style=, Exhibition
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!colspan=9 style=, Regular season
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!colspan=9 style=, 2020 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament,
Big Ten tournament
Schedule source
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2019-20 Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team
Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball seasons
2019 in sports in Nebraska, Nebraska
2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season, Nebraska
2020 in sports in Nebraska, Nebraska