Nebraska men’s basketball is hosting five of the nation’s best players in their respective graduating classes on Sunday.
The No. 5 Huskers (20-1) will host No. 9 Illinois Sunday for a top-10 showdown set to tip off at 3 p.m. CT, and Fred Hoiberg and his staff will look to capitalize on this season’s success and an expected raucous atmosphere to make a great impression the prospective recruits, four of whom are currently uncommitted.
The highest profile of the five players is Dawson Battie. Listed at 6-foot-8 and a five-star prospect per the 247Sports Composite rankings, the native of Dallas, Texas, is the 11th-rated player nationally in the 2027 class and the second-ranked prospect in his state. Battie has 20 Division I offers; obviously, Nebraska is in the group, along with schools like Houston, Auburn, and Kentucky.
This isn’t the first trip to Lincoln for Battie; the versatile forward also visited this summer and competed at the Fred Hoiberg Elite Camp on Aug. 23, 2025.
Battie’s brother, Dillon Battie, is a 6-foot-8 forward that signed with Temple, where his father Derrick played (1992-96), and transferred to Wichita State, where he is a sophomore for the Shockers. His uncle, Tony Battie, was the No. 5 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft after a standout career at Texas Tech. Tony’s NBA career spanned six seasons and 837 games played.
The most immediate impact player of the five visitors could be Mathias Alessanco due to his size and age. A 6-foot-8 forward in the 2026 class, Alessanco is officially visiting the Huskers this weekend.
The Brazil native is unranked nationally but listed as a four-star prospect per Rivals. Currently playing for Overtime Elite (OTE) in Atlanta, Allessanco took official visits to Michigan and Texas last summer.
Prior to OTE, Allessanco played for Real Betis Baloncesto Sevilla’s second team. Per his OTE bio, he played for Brazil in the U18 FIBA AmeriCup and was elevated to the Brazilian Senior National Team at just 16 years old, where he played at the FIBA AmeriCup Qualifiers.
Future Husker Jacob Lanier will also be on campus. Lanier signed with the Huskers on Nov. 12, 2025, as part of the 2026 recruiting class alongside Waukee Northwest forward Colin Rice.
Lanier, a top-100 player per 247Sports composite rankings at No. 91, is averaging 28.5 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 19 games this season for Parkview Magnet in Little Rock, Ark.
“Jacob is a combo guard who does a good job of getting others involved and is a very good shooter,” Fred Hoiberg said of Lanier on signing day. “His combination of size, physicality and length show up on the defensive end where he can guard multiple positions. When watching him over the summer, the trait that stands out about Jacob is his competitiveness. He’s a winner who plays with a chip on his shoulder, and we are excited to get him on campus.”
Donovan Davis, a four-star 2027 prospect from Kaukauna, Wisconsin, is the No. 33 overall player and No. 8 power forward in the class.
The Freedom High prospect recently visited Wisconsin and Iowa State. Along with Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa State and Marquette, Davis holds offers from Iowa, California, Syracuse and Colorado State.
This will be the second trip to Lincoln recently for Davis. He was in attendance for Nebraska’s win over Creighton on Dec. 7, 2025.
In-state prospect London Dada (Omaha Westside) is the 109th-ranked prospect in the 2027 class per 247Sports composite rankings. Along with Nebraska, the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter holds offers from Creighton, Iowa, Belmont and Omaha. Dada also has a previously scheduled official visit to Creighton this weekend as the Bluejays host UConn Saturday night.
