Nebraska picked ninth in Big Ten preseason power rankings

College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein put up his men’s basketball preseason power rankings on Wednesday. He placed Nebraska ninth in the Big Ten.

Illinois received the top spot, followed by Michigan State, Michigan, USC, and UCLA rounding out the top five. Purdue, Ohio State, and Indiana were the three remaining teams before the Huskers.

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The Huskers are coming off a 2025-26 season that saw them go 28-7. They advanced to the Sweet 16 where they lost a close 77-71 game to Iowa.

If anything, these rankings are certainly reminiscent of last year. The Huskers were picked to finish 14th in several Big Ten preseason polls and ended up becoming one of the Cinderella stories of college basketball. They will have several key returners for this upcoming season, including Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager.

This season should be exciting, with new transfer portal additions on the roster and several sharpshooters available. The Huskers could certainly outplay this ranking, with a story similar to last year.