Nebraska forward Matar Diop enters the NCAA Transfer Portal

Nebraska forward Matar Diop has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3’s Jamie Shaw has learned. Diop only spent one season with the Cornhuskers.

In his lone year with the program, Diop appeared in 19 games. In 3.7 minutes per game, Diop averaged 0.8 points and 0.9 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field.

Diop did not start playing organized basketball until he was 13 years old. His career took off when he joined the NBA Africa program in 2020 and then represented Senegal with the U20 national team.

He arrived in the United States in August of 2022 and enrolled at Keystone Athletic Academy last fall. While there, Diop grabbed scouts’ attention on the court with his rebounding, shot-blocking and exceptional motor.

“(He’s) 6-9. Almost 6-10, with a 7-3 wingspan and a tremendous motor,” Hoiberg said of Diop last summer. “So really excited about that addition to our roster. Just really brings us an element to this team with an element to protect the rim. Athleticism. Gives us a lob threat.”

Matar Diop played high school basketball at Keystone Academy, where he was an unranked prospect in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound native of Dakar, Senegal, chose NU over Arizona State, Seton Hall, Ole Miss and others. Now, he is Nebraska’s sixth offseason departure to date. He joins guards C.J. Wilcher, Jamarques Lawrence, Eli Rice, and Ramel Lloyd and forward Blaise Keita.

Nebraska loses Jamarques Lawrence to the transfer portal

Only one day before Diop announced his decision, Lawrence entered the portal. He is a massive loss for the Cornhuskers. Over the past two seasons, Lawrence appeared in 62 games with 32 starts.

A three-star recruit from Roselle Catholic (N.J.), Lawrence started 12 of 28 games as a true freshman in 2022-23. He averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game, playing some of his best basketball over the season’s final month.

Lawrence changed his role this past offseason. After playing primarily off the ball his entire career, the 6-foot-3, 183-pounder became Nebraska’s No. 1 point guard. The transition led to plenty of highs and lows this year. Brice Williams eventually replaced Lawrence as the lead guard midway through the season.

He finished with 6.9 ppg and a 1.25 assist-to-turnover ratio. That included three straight double-figure scoring efforts in Big Ten play, capped by a career-high 19 points at Indiana.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.