Three Things We Learned from Nebraska Basketball’s Exhibition Loss to Saint Louis

In the Huskers’ first outing since a six-point loss to Iowa in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, Nebraska men’s basketball came up short once again.

However, Husker fans have little reason to worry, as Friday night’s contest was an exhibition that won’t count toward their record in 2026-27. Even so, Nebraska’s 79-74 defeat offered several takeaways ahead of the year to come.

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1. Fred Hoiberg Is Figuring Out Who His Squad Is

Rienk Mast signals to Sam Hoiberg after Hoiberg makes a three-pointer against Creighton. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Thirteen Huskers saw action against the Billikens on Friday night, 11 of whom played at least 10 minutes. That’s not unusual for an exhibition, especially considering how much turnover Nebraska has experienced this offseason.

The Huskers lost four starters from a program-record 28-win team a season ago, and the roster changes were evident Friday night. Preseason All-Big Ten selection Pryce Sandfort was joined by reigning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager, Ashland-Greenwood native Cale Jacobsen, Utah Valley transfer Trevan Lenhardt, and Boston College transfer Boden Kapke.

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Jacobsen led all Huskers with 26 minutes of action, while Sandfort and Frager were the only other players to log at least 20 minutes. Beyond that trio, Nebraska appeared intent on evaluating how its new additions would perform against another program. Hoiberg experimented with several lineups, which may have contributed to the Huskers looking out of sorts for much of the game. If there’s ever a time to be experimental, it’s now. No need to overreact to what we saw on the court.

2. Jacob Lanier Is Not Afraid of the Moment

Jacob Lanier poses with coach Fred Hoiberg during his visit to Lincoln before committing to Nebraska. | @iamjacob2026/Instagram

Freshman Jacob Lanier logged his first minutes in the scarlet and cream, and the former four-star recruit in the 2026 class didn’t act much like a freshman at all.

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In just five minutes of…

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Publish date : 2026-10-10 04:27:00

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