A nullable type can contain a value, or it can be undefined. The ?? operator defines the default value to be returned when a nullable type is assigned to a non-nullable type. If you try to assign a nullable type to a non-nullable type without using the ?? operator, you will generate a compile-time error. If you use a cast, and the nullable type is currently undefined, an InvalidOperationException exception will be thrown.
For more information, see Nullable Types (C# Programming Guide).