Sam Griesel calls losing Emmanuel Bandoumel 'awful'

Sam Griesel didn’t hold anything back regarding the huge gap the loss of Emmanuel Bandoumel has left in the Nebraska lineup.

The Cornhuskers lost their first game of the season since losing Bandoumel to a season-ending knee injury, falling to Northwestern 78-63. While Griesel provided eight points, five rebounds and four steals over 34 minutes against the Wildcats, it simply wasn’t enough to overcome their Big Ten rival.

Speaking with the media afterwards, a dejected Griesel spoke about missing Bandoumel, and how Nebraska needs to right the ship over the remainder of the season.

“Losing Emmanuel … Obviously, that is awful,” stated Griesel. “But it’s a next man up mentality. Northwestern doesn’t care. Any team that we play doesn’t care what’s happened, what adversity we’re going through. That’s the bottom line.

“We have however many games left in the season to figure that out. Figure out our roles. Move forward.”

Moreover, the Cornhuskers basketball guard injured his knee against Penn State last weekend. Prior, he had been a consistent part of Nebraska’s mission, averaging 8.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

“Coach Hoiberg has announced that Emmanuel Bandoumel will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s game at Penn State,” tweeted Nebraska. “Best wishes on your recovery, @EBandou5.”

Bandoumel came to Lincoln via the NCAA Transfer Portal earlier this season, following three seasons at SMU with the Mustangs. Now, his future is murkier than ever, but Hoiberg and company would love to welcome him back after his injury is healed.

Best of wishes to Emmanuel Bandoumel is his recovery, as Nebraska will surely miss him on the court.

The Cornhuskers will travel to take on the Maryland Terrapins in their next game, one that Sam Griesel and company will hope is a changing of the guard for Nebraska and their fortunes in 2023.