Sandfort Named to Julius Erving Award Watch List

Nebraska senior Pryce Sandfort was honored Wednesday, as he was selected as one of 20 candidates for the 2027 Julius Erving Award, which is presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 17-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 13th year by recognizing the top small forward in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball. Today’s recognition is one of several preseason accolades Sandfort has received, including third-team All-America honors by Blue Ribbon.

Sandfort earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades last season, as he averaged 18.1 points per game on nearly 48 percent shooting and 4.9 rebounds per game. He ranked fourth nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.7) while shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc, as his 129 3-pointers broke NU’s single-season record and was the second-highest total in Big Ten history. Sandfort totaled 15 games of at least 20 points, including a trio of 30-point outbursts, all coming in Big Ten action. He capped his first season as a Husker by leading NU to the Sweet 16, averaging 21.0 points per game on 57 percent shooting in three tournament games, including 25 points in the Sweet 16 matchup with Iowa.

The Huskers will open the 2026-27 season on Monday night, as they host Le Moyne. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and a limited number of 300 Level tickets are available by visiting Huskers.com/tickets.

2027 Julius Erving Award Candidates
Amari Allen                            Alabama
Bruce Branch III                    BYU
Coen Carr                               Michigan State
Davis Fogle                            Gonzaga
Amani Hansberry                 Virginia Tech
Juke Harris                              Tennessee
Thomas Haugh                      Florida
Shelton Henderson              Miami
Ivan Kharchenkov                 Arizona
Nikola Kusturica                    UCLA
Colben Landrew                   UConn
Milan Momcilovic                 Kentucky
Billy Richmond III                 Arkansas
Pryce Sandfort                    Nebraska
Dame Sarr                              Duke
Andrej Stojakovic                  Illinois
Tyran Stokes                           Kansas
Anthony Thompson              Ohio State
Aiden Tobiason                      Syracuse
Tounde Yessoufou                St. John’s