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Huskers Head to Rutgers on Saturday
The No. 9/9 (AP/Coaches) Nebraska men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, as the Huskers head to Piscataway, N.J. for a matchup with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Tipoff from Jersey Mike's Arena is set for 11 a.m. (central) and the game will be carried on BTN, broadcast on the Huskers Radio Network, as well as on Huskers.com and on the official Huskers app. The game will also be available on the Fox Sports and Fox One apps.
The Huskers (20-2, 9-2 B1G) look to bounce back following a 78-69 loss to then No. 9 Illinois on Sunday. Braden Frager paced Nebraska with 20 points off the bench to lead four Huskers in double figures in a losing effort. The Huskers led 39-33 at halftime, but Keaton Wagler had 23 of his 23 points in the second half for the Fighting Illini, who moved into a tie for the Big Ten lead with the win.
Frager, who had missed NU's previous two games because of a sprained ankle, hit six 3-pointers as Nebraska went 15-of-35 from beyond the arc in the loss. The freshman has scored 20+ points in three of his last four games, as he missed the final 30+ minutes of NU's game against Washington with the injury.
The Husker lead the Big Ten and rank 11th nationally with 11.0 3-pointers per game and the 243 3-pointers this year already rank seventh in school history. Four Huskers have at least 35 3-pointers, including Pryce Sandfort, who leads the Big Ten with 77 3-pointers this season.
|
Single-Season 3-Pointers |
||
|
No. |
3 Pointers |
Year |
|
1. |
319 |
2023-24 |
|
2. |
270 |
2018-19 |
|
3. |
267 |
2001-02 |
|
4 |
263 |
2024-25 |
|
5. |
253 |
2019-20 |
|
6. |
244 |
2006-07 |
|
7. |
243 |
2025-26 |
Rutgers (9-14, 2-10 B1G) returns home after going 0-2 on its West Coast trip. Despite 18 points from freshman Kaden Powers, the Scarlet Knights lost at UCLA, 98-66, as the Bruins shot 56 percent from the field, including 12-of-21 from 3-point range. Rutgers has been much better at home, posting both of its Big Ten wins and had a seven-point lead against Michigan State with less than three minutes remaining before falling in OT in its last home contest.
Numbers to Know
5 - Nebraska looks for its sixth Big Ten road win of the season on Saturday at Rutgers. Nebraska has never won more than five conference road games in a season since joining the Big Six Conference in 1928-29.
.727 -Nebraska is 8-3 in its last 11 Big Ten road games dating back to last season following Tuesday's loss at No. 3 Michigan. The Huskers are also 12-1 away from Pinnacle Bank Arena since March 31, 2025.
2010-11 - Nebraska's 24-game win streak was the longest Big Ten win streak since Ohio State in 2010-11 and was 10 games longer than the longest win streak in school history.
5.9 - Sam Hoiberg leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (min. 3 assists per game) at 5.9-to-1 as of Feb. 4. Over the last 13 games dating back to Dec. 10, Hoiberg has 58 assists and just eight turnovers in 419:56 of game action. He also has a 3.2-to-1 steals-to-turnover ratio in that span.
16 -Nebraska's 16-point second-half comeback against Indiana on Jan. 10 tied the Huskers' largest comeback of the season (also vs. Oklahoma). NU has a trio of double-digit comebacks this season and seven over the past two seasons.
54.6 - Nebraska's top four scorers (Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence) are combining for 54.6 points per game. None of them were in the Husker lineup last season.
80+ - Nebraska is 49-10 (.827) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 40-7 mark over the last three-plus seasons. Of those seven losses since the start of 2022-23, four came in overtime.
10 - Pryce Sandfort is just the eighth Husker player to have at least 10 20-point efforts in a season since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011-12. He has scored 20+ points in five of NU's last six games.
1,022 -Rienk Mast now has 1,022 career rebounds and is one of only three active players with at least 1,000 career rebounds, joining Notre Dame's Carson Towt and Gonzaga's Graham Ike on that list.
2 - Over the last decade, only seven Big Ten players have shot over 40 percent from 3-point range and averaged 3.0 3-pointers per game. Pryce Sandfort and Ohio State's John Mobley Jr. are both above those marks as of Feb. 4.
3- According to Stathead, Sam Hoiberg is one of three players nationally at 6-0 or under averaging at least five rebounds per game this season.
Huskers Stay in Top 10 for Fifth Straight Week
Despite the two losses, Nebraska stayed in the top 10 of the AP and Coaches polls on Monday, checking in at No. 9 in both polls.
• Nebraska has now been in the top 10 in five straight weeks, the longest stretch in school history. The previous best was four weeks from Feb. 7-28, 1966.
• On Jan. 26, Nebraska earned its highest ranking in school history, moving to No. 5 in both the AP and Coaches polls. It topped NU's previous best of seventh on Jan. 19.
• The Huskers are now 49-24 (.671) all-time when ranked in the AP poll following Sunday's loss to No. 9 Illinois.
• Prior to this season, the 1965-66 season was the only other season where Nebraska was ranked in the top 10. NU spent four straight weeks in the poll (Feb. 7-28) in 1965-66, reaching as high as eighth on Feb. 21, 1966. That season, the Huskers went 20-5, including 12-2 in the Big Eight to finish second to Kansas, but did not advance to postseason play. That Kansas team that won the Big Eight lost to eventual NCAA Champion Texas Western, 81-80, in double overtime in the Midwest Regional Final.
• Prior to its 2025-26 poll debut on Dec. 8, the Huskers had not been ranked in the AP poll since Dec. 31, 2018.
• With a win on Saturday at Rutgers, the Huskers will be the 10th team in school history to win at least 21 games, which would include each of the past three seasons.
• The Huskers now have three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. In addition, Nebraska has already won 20 games, marking the eighth time in program history that Nebraska has won 20-or-more games in the regular season.
• Nebraska is 5-1 on the road in Big Ten play in 2025-26. The five wins on the road in conference play already ties a school record for most conference road wins in a season, set four other times, most recently in 1965-66. Nebraska won its first five Big Ten road games, matching the school's longest road conference win streak since the 1965-66 season.
• The Huskers saw their 24-game win streak snapped at No. 3 Michigan on Jan. 27. It was the longest Division I win streak since Gonzaga won 35 straight games from Feb. 27, 2020, to April 3, 2021. The streak began at the 2025 College Basketball Crown and included first 20 games of this season.
• Nebraska's 20-0 start marked just the third time in the last 30 years a Big Ten team has started 20-0 and the first since Ohio State opened the 2010-11 season with 24 straight wins.
• Nebraska’s 9-2 Big Ten start is the program's best conference start of the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) and is the program's best since going 10-1 in the first 11 games of the 1965-66 season. With a win on Saturday, NU would reach 10 conference wins for the fourth time since joining the Big Ten (2013-14, 2017-18, 2023-24).
• Nebraska is 10th in the NET rankings released on Feb. 4. The Huskers are one of five Big Ten teams in the top 11 of the NET (No. 2 Michigan, No. 6 Illinois, No. 8 Purdue, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 11 Michigan State. The Big Ten (4) and Big 12 (3) are the only conferences with multiple teams in the top 10 of the NET.
• As of Feb. 4, Nebraska's six Quad 1 wins ties for fifth nationally as the teams with more Quad 1 wins are Duke, Arizona, Illinois and Michigan. NU is also 12-2 in the first two quads, as the 12 wins are tied for fifth nationally.
• Nebraska saw its school-record 24-game win streak snapped on Jan. 27. It nearly doubled the previous mark of 14 set two other times (1912-13 and 1990-91) and was the longest win streak by a Big Ten team since Ohio State won 24 straight to open the 2010-11 season.
• Since the start of the 2023-24 season, NU is 64-27 (.703) while the 64 wins is fifth among Big Ten teams in that span (Purdue-76; Illinois-70; Michigan State-69; Wisconsin-65 and Nebraska-64) as of Feb. 4.
• Nebraska is currently 23rd nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom, which would be the Huskers' highest KenPom offensive ranking (24th, 2003-04 under Barry Collier). That is the only time in the KenPom era where NU was in the top-25 nationally in offensive efficiency. Of note, four of Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State teams ranked in the top-25 nationally (2011-12, 12-13, 13-14, 14-15). It is more impressive considering that Nebraska has faced the top two defensives in the country according to KenPom (MSU and Michigan).
• The Huskers are tied for second in the Big Ten and 10th nationally with 11.0 3-pointers made per game as of Feb. 4. It is on pace to break NU's single-season record (9.54 in 2001-02). Nebraska is one of four teams on pace to break the Big Ten's single-season mark for 3-pointers per game (10.4 by Penn State in 2022-23). NU led the Big Ten with 9.4 3-pointers per game in 2023-24, the fifth time a Hoiberg-coached team led the conference in 3-pointers per game.
• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers 15 times this season, including 17 against both Oregon and FIU and 15 vs. Oklahoma and Illinois. The 17 3-pointers was one shy of the school mark of 18 set against Kansas in 2002.
• The seven 3-pointers by Braden Frager and Pryce Sandfort vs. Oregon on Jan. 13 marked the first time in school history that NU has had multiple players hit seven 3-pointers in a game. According to Stathead, it was the third Big Ten game since 2010-11 where multiple players hit seven or more 3-pointers in a game.
• NU's team 2.04-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth nationally as of Feb. 4. It is on track to shatter the school mark of 1.81 set in 1984-85. The Big Ten has the top three teams nationally in that category (Purdue-1st; Northwestern-2nd). Only two teams (Gonzaga in 2024-25; Iowa in 2020-21) in the last 10 season have finished the year with a 2.00-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Nebraska enters Rutgers the game ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 16th nationally with 18.4 assists per game. It is an increase of 4.5 assists per game from last season. Nebraska's highest assist per game total under Hoiberg is 15.3 per game in 2023-24.
• The Huskers are second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in fewest turnovers per game at 9.0 per contest. In Big Ten games, it is just 8.1 per contest.
• The 66.0 ppg allowed is 6.2 points per game fewer than last season and on pace to be NU's lowest scoring defense since the 2014-15 season (63.1).
•The Huskers have held 13 of their 22 opponents to under 1.0 points per possession. Over the last three-plus seasons, NU is 53-3 (.946) when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 55-5 when holding opponents to under 70 points.
• Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons and is on track to continue that trend in 2025-26, as the Huskers are 12th nationally as of Feb. 4. Nebraska's best KenPom rank on defense was 15th nationally in 2008-09. That is the last time Nebraska ranked in the top 20 nationally in defensive efficiency.
• The Huskers posted their third double-digit comeback of the season against Indiana on Jan. 10, overcoming a 16-point second-half deficit (also 16 vs. Oklahoma and 12 vs. USC Upstate). It marked the 12th time under Hoiberg NU has overcome a double-digit deficit, including seven times in the last two seasons.
• As of Feb. 4, there have been 20 triple-doubles in Division I basketball this season while NU is the only school with multiple players recording a triple double. Over the last seven seasons, only five schools - NU (2025-26), Iowa State (2023-24), Western Kentucky (2021-22), Portland (2021-22) and Utah (2019-20) - have had multiple players record triple-doubles in the same year.
• NU has 24 double-digit scoring runs this season, which is tied for 10th nationally according to EvanMiya.com as of Feb. 4. It is second in the Big Ten, trailing only Michigan's (29).
• Nebraska completed its non-conference slate with a perfect 11-0 record, marking the first time since the 1928-29 season where NU posted an unblemished non-conference mark (6-0). The Huskers are 31-2 in regular-season non-conference play since the start of the 2023-24 season (10-1 in 2023-24; 10-1 in 2024-25).
• Nine Huskers have posted double-figure efforts this season, while four players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-9; Braden Frager-5; Rienk Mast-4; Jamarques Lawrence-2).
Illinois Recap
Braden Frager’s 20 points off the bench were not enough to secure a win, as No. 5 Nebraska fell to No. 9 Illinois, 76-69, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 1.
The Huskers led 42-35 early in the second half, but Illinois rallied behind Keaton Wagler, who has 23 of his game-high 28 points in the second half to lead the Illini comeback. The Huskers put four in double figures in a losing effort, including 14 from Pryce Sandfort, 13 from Sam Hoiberg and 10 from Jamarques Lawrence, and hit 15 3-pointers but were held to 39 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
The Huskers, who hit 11 3-pointers in the first half, jumped out to an early 9-4 lead, including a pair of 3-pointers from Sandfort before Illinois ran off six straight points to regain the lead.
The Illini built a six-point lead twice in the opening 20 minutes, the last being at 31-25 before the Huskers took momentum in front of a sold out PBA crowd. Nebraska scored 11 straight point on 3-pointers from Sandfort, Hoiberg and Frager before a Cale Jacobson basket put NU ahead 36-31 with 1:10 left. A David Mikovic jumper stopped the Husker run, but Sandfort’s fourth 3-pointer of the half with 33 second left gave Nebraska a six-point halftime cushion. Sandfort and Frager had 12 points apiece in the opening 20 minutes, as Nebraska went 11-of-20 from 3-point range. While the Huskers were dialed in from 3-point range, Illinois duo of Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic combined for 17 of Illinois' 33 points, going a combined 7-of-7 from the field and grabbing nine rebounds.
Berke Buyuktuncel’s 3-pointer extended the Husker lead to 42-35, Illinois scored six straight points as part of an 11-2 spurt to take a 51-47 lead on a Mirkovic basket with 12:27 left. Frager, who posted his fifth 20-point game of the season, put the Huskers within 53-52 before Jake Davis’ 3-pointer started a10-0 Illini run that put the visitors up 63-52 with 6:45 after five straight points from Wagler.
From there, the Huskers were unable to cut into the Illini lead, as Illinois went 10-of-12 from the line in the final 3:23. NU got as close as 76-69 after a Rienk Mast basket with 39 seconds left, but could not complete the comeback.
Notes from the Illinois Game
• The Nebraska-Illinois game marked the third top-10 matchup in Nebraska basketball history and the second this week. It also marked the first home top-10 matchup in school history.
|• Freshman Braden Frager led Nebraska with 20 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season. He had missed NU’s last two games after spraining his ankle in the first half against Washington on Jan. 21. His 20-point game was his fifth off the bench, while his six 3-pointers was one shy of his season best in that category.
• Nebraska hit 15 3-pointers, the fourth time this season the Huskers hit 15 or more 3-pointers in a game.
• Sandfort had four 3-pointers today and now has 77 on the season to move past Keisei Tominaga (76, 2023-24) for ninth on NU’s single-season list.
• Hoiberg reached double figures for the sixth straight game and had six assists without a turnover. He now has a 5.88-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season.
• Nebraska finished with 17 assists and just eight turnovers, the sixth time in the last seven games NU had 10 or fewer turnovers.
• Nebraska went on an 11-0 run in the first half, recording their 24th killshot in 22 games this season.