Nebraska projected to land promising transfer target after Berke’s departure

Nebraska basketball fans got another introduction to the transfer portal on Wednesday, as Berke Buyuktuncel announced that he was entering the transfer portal.

According to reports, Berke sought double his previous season’s salary, requesting over $1 million for this season. Fred Hoiberg and the Huskers weren’t willing to do that, so Berke entered the portal.

He averaged 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game last season. Berke was inconsistent from 3-point range, shooting just 27 percent last season, but he’s got the tools to be a really good big. He’s especially strong on the defensive end, which is what the Huskers will miss most.

It’s just the new reality of college basketball. Berke had the Nebraska basketball record from this past season tattooed on his arm one day, and entered the transfer portal the next.

The most important thing for Nebraska is what’s next? The Huskers now have to replace Berke on top of Rienk Mast, Sam Hoiberg, and Jamarques Lawrence.

Four of the five starters are gone. There is still a solid core of Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager, Cale Jacobsen, Connor Essegian, and Ugnius Jarusevicius, a 6-foot-10 F/C, who was All-Mac in 2024-25 after leading the league in shooting percentage and scoring 16.1 points per game.

That’s not a bad starting point, especially with an All-Big Ten selection and the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year coming back. It also sounds like Hoiberg is on the verge of his first transfer portal addition.

Nebraska trending to land sharp-shooting big from a mid-major

Fred loves having floor spacers at the four. If the projection of Robin Washut of Husker Online comes true, Hoiberg will get exactly that in Belmont forward Sam Orme.

The 6-foot-8 standout just finished his sophomore season with Belmont, which won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title. Orme averaged 12.7 points per game and has made 84 3-pointers in two seasons at a 38.7 percent clip (39 .7 in 2025-26).

Orme is a solid defender, too. His defensive rating is 102.7 compared to 96 for Berke (points per possession allowed per 100 possessions), but he also averaged five rebounds per game, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 25 minutes.

This is probably more of a replacement for Mast than Berke; Orme is a true stretch four. He attempts 4.2 3-pointers per game and 4.8 twos, shooting 70 percent this season.

In terms of offensive efficiency, Orme feels like an upgrade. Defense is another concern, and that’s the biggest hole left by Berke’s departure.

We’ll see what Fred does to address that, but if Orme does take a visit to Lincoln this weekend, don’t be surprised if he is Nebraska basketball’s first transfer portal commitment. He’s ranked 96th among transfers via On3.

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