Huskers Cap 2024-25 Season with College Basketball Crown

The Nebraska men's basketball program capped a 21-win campaign by winning the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. The Huskers completed a 4-0 performance with a 77-66 win over UCF in the title game on April 6. 

Nebraska went 21-14 on the season, reaching the 20-win mark for the second straight season. It marked the first time Nebraska had won 20-or-more games in consecutive seasons since 1997-98 and 1998-99, as Nebraska's 44 wins over the last two seasons marked the second-highest two-year total in program history.

The Huskers showed their resolve in the title game vs. UCF battling back from a 14-point deficit with just under 15 minutes remaining. Juwan Gary led the comeback, scoring nine of his 20 points in an 11-0 spurt to pull the Huskers within 49-46 with 12:19 left. Trailing 52-46, Nebraska regained the lead for good with 13 unanswered points, including a trio of 3-pointers from Connor Essegian, to stake the Huskers to a 59-52 lead with just under 7:30 remaining. The Huskers held UCF to 35 percent shooting in the second half, including just 7-of-27 over the last 14:30 of the contest. 

Brice Williams and Essegian led the Huskers with 21 points apiece in the title game, while Gary added 20 points and eight rebounds, as Nebraska had three players finish with 20-plus points in a game for the first time since 2019. The Huskers shot 54 percent from the field in the second half and totaled 20 assists, including a career-high seven from Sam Hoiberg. 

Gary was selected as "King of the Crown" as he averaged 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, as the senior had two 20-point games as well as a double-double in the win over Georgetown. Williams averaged a team-high 23.3 ppg on 50 percent shooting, including 30 points against Arizona State, to join Gary on the all-tournament team. 

The College Basketball Crown was the second tournament Nebraska won during the 2024-25 season, as NU also went 3-0 to win the Diamond Head Classic in December of 2024. 

Huskers Post Consecutive 20-Win Seasons

• Nebraska finished with 21 wins on the season, a total which ties for seventh on the Huskers' single-season list. It marked the 15th 20-win season in program history and second straight under Fred Hoiberg.

Single-Season Win Chart

No.	Wins	Years
1.	26	1990-91
2.	23	2023-24
3.	22	4x (2017-18, 1982-83, 1977-78, 1919-20)
7.	21	3x (2024-25, 1995-96, 1986-87)

• Nebraska has now posted consecutive 20-win seasons for the third time in school history and the first since the late 1990s. Fred Hoiberg joins Danny Nee (2x) as the only Husker men's basketball coaches in school history to accomplish the feat.

Back-to-Back 20 Win Seasons

• 2023-24 (23) and 2024-25 (20)
• 1997-98 (20) and 1998-99 (20)
• 1992-93 (20) and 1993-94 (20)
• NU has 44 wins over the past two seasons, which is the second-highest consecutive two-year total in program history. NU won 45 games spanning the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.
• With a 21-14 record, Nebraska finished with a .500 or better record for the third straight season. It would mark the first time that has happened at Nebraska since a six-year stretch spanning the 2003-04 to 2008-09 seasons.

Nebraska's Postseason History
The 2025 College Basketball Crown marked Nebraska's 28th postseason appearance in program history, as Nebraska is 28-26 all-time in the postseason following the win over UCF in the title game. The list includes eight NCAA Tournament appearances, most recently last season, 19 NITs and this year's College Basketball Crown.

• Nebraska reached the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
• Nebraska is now 2-0 in postseason title games, as Nebraska won the 2025 College Basketball Crown and the 1995 NIT.
• The 2024-05 team went 4-0 in the postseason, marking the first time since 1996 where Nebraska won four postseason games in a season. It is only the fourth time NU won at least three postseason games (NITs in 1995-96, 1986-87 and 1982-83). A win Sunday would mark the second time NU has won four postseason games in a season (five, 1996).

Williams is Huskers' Scoring Sensation
Brice Williams put together one of the best senior seasons in school history in 2024-25. The 6-foot-7 senior became the first Husker since 2018 to be a first-team All-Big Ten pick and earn first-team all-district honors and closed his career with Nebraska's single-season scoring mark.

• Williams finished with 713 points, breaking the record of 708 set by James Palmer in 2018-19. Williams took the scoring crown with a 21-point effort against UCF in the title game.

NU Single-Season Scoring Leaders

No.	Player (Season)	Pts.
1.	Brice Williams (2024-25)	713
2.	James Palmer Jr. (2018-19)	708
3.	Dave Hoppen (1984-95)	704
4.	Tyronn Lue (1997-98)	678
5.	Eric Piatkowski (1994)	646

• His four 30-point games, highlighted by a school-record 43-point effort at Ohio State on March 4, were the most by a Husker since Dave Hoppen in 1984-85. WIlliams' 43-point effort against Ohio State was the highest-scoring effort in the Big Ten in 2024-25 and the second-highest total by any power conference player on the season.

30-Point Games in a Season

No.	Name	Gm	Year
1.	Dave Hoppen	6	1984-85
2.	Brice Williams	4	2024-25
	Andre Smith	4	1979-80
	Eric Piatkowski	4	1993-94
	Tyronn Lue	4	1997-98

• He finished in double figures in 32 of the Huskers' 35 games this season, which is the most since James Palmer Jr. had 34 in 36 games in 2018-19. Of the three times Williams was held out of double figures this season, two were games where he scored nine points.
• Williams finished the year with 20 games of at least 20 points, a total which led the Big Ten Conference and was the most by a Husker since Dave Hoppen set the school mark with 21 in 1984-85.
• Williams' 20.4 ppg marked just the eighth time in program history a player averaged at least 20.0 points per game and the first since Tyronn Lue (21.2) in 1997-97. Only seven players at Nebraska have ever averaged 20.0 ppg.

Highest Scoring Average in NU History

No.	PPG	Player (Year)
1.	23.5	Dave Hoppen(1985)
2.	22.1	Dave Hoppen (1986)
3.	21.5	Eric Piatkowski (1994)
4.	21.4	Marvin Stewart (1971)
5.	21.2	Chuck Jura (1972)
	21.2	Tyronn Lue (1998)
7.	20.4	Brice Williams (2025)
8.	20.2	Jerry Fort (1975)

• His 20.4 ppg average is the highest by any player in Fred Hoiberg's 11-year college coaching career.
• In all, Williams finished in the top 10 in six school categories during his senior campaign. On the NCAA charts, Williams finished 13th nationally in points per game and eighth in total points. He also finished ninth in free throws made and 31st in free throws attempted.
• During his two-year Husker career, Williams totaled 1,168 points to finish 22nd on NU's career scoring list. He is one of just four Huskers to reach the 1,000-point mark in two seasons, joining Dave Hoppen, Terran Petteway and James Palmer Jr.

Williams Claims Big Ten Scoring Crown
In addition to his marks on Nebraska's record books, Williams also made his mark in the Big Ten, a conference which saw eight teams reach the NCAA Tournament and 10 teams advance to postseason play.

• Williams averaged 20.7 ppg in Big Ten play, becoming the first Husker since the 2014-15 season to lead the Big Ten in scoring. It was the highest average by a Husker in conference play since Tyronn Lue averaged 21.8 ppg in 1997-98.
• His 414 points in Big Ten play was the most by a Husker in conference play. The previous mark was 372 by James Palmer Jr. in 2018-19.
• He is now the sixth Husker to lead the conference in scoring in conference play going back to the 1912-13 season.
• In all games, Williams was edged out by Nick Martinelli by 0.1 points per game, as only three players averaged at least 20.0 ppg in 2024-25.
• Williams also finished in the top five in free throws made (5.4 per game, second) and attempted (6.1 per game, third) and free throw percentage (.883, fourth)

 Williams Climbs Up Family chart

Brice and his father, Henry finished as one of the most productive father-son duos in NCAA history. The pair is one of only seven father-son duos in NCAA history to score over 4,000 points at the college level, as the pair finished sixth in NCAA history with 4,352 career points. Brice closed his career with 1,969 career points, including 1,168 in just two seasons at Nebraska.  Henry Williams, who passed away in 2018, was Charlotte's all-time leading scorer with 2,383 career points.

Father-Son Duos with 4,000 Points

No.	Father (College)	Years	Points	Son (College)	Years	Points	Total
1.	Dell Curry (Virginia Tech)	1983-86	2,389	Stephen Curry (Davidson)	2006-09	2,635	5,024
2.	Mike Davis (Alabama)	1979-83	1,211	Antoine Davis (Detroit)	2018-23	3,664	4,875
3.	Steve Burtt Sr. (Iona)	1980-84	2,534	Steve Burtt Jr. (Iona)	2002-06	2,034	4,568
4.	Dell Curry (Virginia Tech)	1983-86	2,389	Seth Curry (Duke/Liberty)	2009-13	2,101	4,490
5.	Steve Alford (Indiana)	1983-86	2,438	Bryce Alford (UCLA)	2013-17	1,922	4,360
6.	Henry Williams (Charlotte)	1988-92	2,383	Brice Williams (Charlotte/Nebraska)	2019-25	1,969	4,352
7.	Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa)	1984-88	1,033	Doug McDermott (Creighton)	2010-14	3,150	4,183

Gary's Crowning Moment Completes Strong Senior Season
For Juwan Gary, the College Basketball Crown MVP honor was fitting for the senior's performance down the stretch. Gary averaged a career-best 14.6 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game during his senior year. He also enjoyed career bests from 3-point range (.339) and from the foul line (.800).

• He led NU in blocked shots, finished second on the team in scoring, rebounding and steals while usually drawing the assignment against the opponent's best player.
• Gary was named "King of the Crown" as he averaged 19.0 points on 52 percent shooting and 8.0 rebounds per game in four games. Gary had four 20-point efforts with 21 points and nine rebounds in the semifinal win over Boise State and 20 points and eight caroms against UCF in the title game. He also added a 17-point, 10-rebound effort against Georgetown.
• His strong performance in Las Vegas continued a trend during the second half of the season. Gary averaged 18.1 ppg on nearly 50 percent shooting over the Huskers' final 14 games. More impressively, he shot 44 percent from 3-point range in that stretch, including a 4-of-4 effort vs. Boise State.

Tracking Juwan

Player	PPG	FG Pct	3Pt Pct.	FT Pct.	RPG
First 21	12.2	.415	.270	.763	4.9
Final 14	18.1	.497	.440	.851	5.6

• He closed his career with seven straight double-figure efforts, including five of his 13 career 20-point games.
• Gary improved his scoring average in each of his three seasons at Nebraska after averaging just 5.1 points per game in his two seasons at Alabama. He nearly doubled that in his first season at NU and made significant jumps in both his junior and senior seasons.
• He finished his Husker career with 996 points to rank 33rd on NU's career chart. Including his time at Alabama, he totaled 1,299 career points.
• Gary closed the regular season with a flourish, posting three straight 20-point games to start the month of March, including a 24-point, seven-rebound effort against Iowa on March 9. He also had 24 points and seven rebounds at Ohio State on March 4, hitting 9-of-12 shots from the floor and had 21 points against Minnesota on March 1.
• His career scoring high came against USC on Jan. 22, as he totaled 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting.
• He tallied eight double-doubles in his Husker career, including five in helping the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24.

Essegian Flourishes as Sixth Man
Connor Essegian has proved to be an impact transfer for the Huskers. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 10.7 points per game on 41 percent shooting while pacing the Huskers with 78 3-pointers.

• Essegian was second in the Big Ten among reserves, as he was one of three Big Ten players to average double figures while starting 10 or fewer games.

B1G Bench Scoring Leaders (10 or less starts)

No.	Player	PPG
1	Will Riley (ILL)	12.6
2.	Nick Kern Jr. (PSU)	11.5
4.	Connor Essegian (NEB)	10.7
4.	Sebastian Mack (UCLA)	9.6
5.	Rashaun Agee (USC)	9.4
6.	Pryce Sandford (Iowa)	8.8

• He finished ninth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (2.2/gm) and 11th in 3-point percentage (.377).
• Essegian finished tied for sixth on NU's single-season 3-point list with 78, the most by a Husker since Glynn Watson Jr. had 82 in 2019.

NU Single-Season 3-Pointers

No.	Player (Season)	3-Pointers
5.	Joe McCray (2005)	80
6.	Connor Essegian (2025)	78
	Cary Cochran (2001)	78
	Tyronn Lue (1998)	78
9.	Keisei Tominaga (2024)	76

• He is one of the leading bench scorers in the Big Ten and anchors a reserve unit that gives NU an average of 23.0 ppg off the bench. During the year, 16 of his 17 double-figure efforts in 2024-25 have come off the bench.
• His fifth 20-point game of the season came in the title game of the College Basketball Crown against UCF, when he had 21 points, including nine points in a 13-0 second-half run. He also shined in the win over Arizona State, scoring all 17 of his points on 7-of-7 shooting in the second half.
• Essegian scored a career-high 29 points off the bench in NU’s win over South Dakota on Nov. 27. In that game, he set personal highs in points (29), assists (five) and 3-pointers (six).
• His 29-point performance was the highest-scoring effort by a Husker reserve in the last 50+ seasons. Over the last 30 years, only two Husker reserves (Jamel White vs. Missouri, 1/28/06; Erick Strickland vs. Missouri, 1/30/93) had scored 28 points off the bench.
• Essegian followed up with a 22-point effort against North Florida on Dec. 1 on 8-of-10 shooting, as he matched his career high with six 3-pointers.
• With six 3-pointers against both South Dakota and North Florida, Essegian joined Cary Cochran as the only Huskers in program history with consecutive games with at least six 3-pointers.

Worth Noting

• Nebraska went 4-4 against ranked opponents in 2024-25, as the four wins over ranked teams tie a school record done three other times in school history. Nebraska has won multiple games against ranked foes in three of the past four years and is now 9-11 in its last 20 games against ranked teams dating back to March 1, 2022.
• Nebraska finished the season averaging 76.0 points per game, marking the second-highest average since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12. NU's three highest-scoring averages have come in the last four seasons under Fred Hoiberg. During the season, Nebraska is 9-3 when scoring at least 80 points with two of the losses coming in overtime.

NU's Highest Scoring Offenses (B1G era)

No.	PPG	Year
1.	77.7	2023-24
2.	76.0	2024-25
3.	73.3	2021-22
4.	72.3	2017-18
5.	72.2	2015-16

• NU went 13-1 when holding opponents to under one point per possession, but 8-13 when opponents are above 1.0 PPP. NU held all four of its opponents in Las Vegas to under 1.05 PPP. Over the last three seasons, NU is 39-3 when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 41-5 when holding opponents to under 70 points. Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons.
• Nebraska posted four double-figure comebacks during the 2024-25 season, which is the most by a Husker team in at least 30 seasons. During the College Basketball Crown, NU overcame an 11-point deficit against Arizona State in the opener and a 14-point second-half deficit against UCF in the title game. Earlier this year, NU overcame a 20-point second-half deficit to win at Northwestern on Feb. 16. It was the largest deficit overcome by a Big Ten team in a road conference game since Feb. 17, 2018, when Michigan State overcame a 27-point deficit at Northwestern at Allstate Arena.
• With its 21-14 record in 2024-25, Nebraska is 50-28 dating back to the start of February 2023. NU's .641 winning percentage is fifth among all Big Ten teams in that span. NU went just 33-80 from the start of the 2019-20 season until Feb. 1, 2023.

Best Records in B1G since Feb. 1, 2023

No.	Team	Record	Pct.
1.	Purdue	66-22	.750
2.	Michigan State	57-27	.679
3.	Illinois	55-29	.655
4.	Wisconsin	57-31	.648
5.	Nebraska	50-28	.641

• Nebraska has had eight games this season with multiple 20-point scorers, including a trio of 20-point scorers in the CBC title game against UCF. In that game, Brice Williams and Connor Essegian had 21 points apiece, while Juwan Gary added 20 markers. NU now has multiple players who have scored 20+ points 19 times in Fred Hoiberg's six seasons.
• The 67 combined points by Gary and Williams at Ohio State were the most by two players in a game in school history. The previous mark was 65 by Eric Piatkowski (42) and Bruce Chubick (23) vs. Oklahoma on March 11, 1994.

• As a team, Nebraska shot 74.9 percent from the foul line on the season, which ties for the fifth-highest percentage in school history. NU's 541 free throws made this season tied for fourth in school history. NU has posted two of the top six free throw percentages in the last two seasons.

Best Single-Season FT Pct.

No.	Year	Pct.
1.	2011-12	.766
2.	1967-68	.765
3	2023-24	.760
4.	1980-81	.750
5.	2024-25	.749
	1979-80	.749

• Going west has been very fruitful, as the Huskers went 9-0 west of Nebraska this year. That includes four wins in the College Basketball Crown, a 3-0 record at the Diamond Head Classic and a road sweep of Washington and Oregon in February.
• Of Nebraska's 14 losses in 2024-25, nine were one-possession games within the last 45 seconds of regulation. In five of the six home losses this season, NU was within one possession in the final 40 seconds, including four in the final 10 seconds (Rutgers, USC, Michigan and Minnesota).
• Nebraska's 2024 Diamond Head Classic title marked the program's first MTE event title since the 2000 San Juan Shootout. With the win, Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg became the first coach to win multiple Diamond Head Classic titles, as he coached Iowa State to the 2013 championship.
• NU went 10-1 in non-conference action during the regular season, only the seventh time since WWII that NU finished its non-con slate with one loss (also 10-1, 2023-24; 10-1, 2018-19; 10-1, 2003-04; 12-1, 1991-92; 15-1, 1990-91; 11-1, 1977-78).

Williams 3x National Player of the Week

Brice Williams has been recognized for his outstanding play, earning USBWA National Player of the Week three times this season. It marked the first time a Husker had earned the USBWA's weekly honor since it began in 2010-11.

• Williams was named one of five USBWA National Players of the Week and the Big Ten Player of the Week on Dec. 16. Williams had 30 points, six rebounds and five assists in NU's win over the Hoosiers.
• He shared the USBWA honor and was named Lute Olson National Player of the Week after helping NU win the Diamond Head Classic. Williams averaged 28.5 ppg on 61 percent shooting along with 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game in helping NU go 2-0 on the week. He matched his then-career high with 32 points in the semifinal win over Hawai’i and totaled 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the title game win vs. Oregon State.
• His most recent honor came on Feb. 3, when he was the national player of the week by the AP and the USBWA while picking up his second weekly Big Ten honor. He averaged 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in helping Nebraska post wins over No. 18 Illinois and at No. 16 Oregon.

Home Sweet Home 

The Huskers have made Pinnacle Bank Arena a formidable home court in recent seasons under Fred Hoiberg. This season, NU is 10-6 at home with six wins coming by double figures and is an impressive 39-11 (.780) over the last three seasons.

• Nebraska finished the season ranked 13th nationally in attendance with 14,964 fans per game.
• Including 2024-25, NU has ranked in the top-15 nationally in attendance 10 times since Pinnacle Bank Arena opened in 2013-14.
• Nebraska set a school record with a 20-game home winning streak spanning the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons until the streak was broken against Rutgers on Jan. 16.

Seven Huskers Earn Academic All-Big Ten Honors

For the second straight year, seven members of the Husker men’s basketball program earned spots on the Winter Academic All-Big team announced on March 19.  The group includes Henry Burt, Berke Büyüktuncel, Connor Essegian, Jeffrey Grace III, Sam Hoiberg, Cale Jacobsen and Rienk Mast. Nebraska’s seven honorees tied the school record of seven set last season. 

Of the seven Huskers, four are repeat selections. Hoiberg makes his third consecutive appearance on the team, while Jacobsen, Grace and Burt are two-time picks. Büyüktuncel, Essegian and Mast were honored for the first time at Nebraska.  In all, 29 Huskers have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in Hoiberg’s six seasons, including 20 over the last three years.