No. 7 Huskers Travel to Minnesota on Saturday

The No. 7/7 (AP/Coaches) Nebraska men's basketball team looks for its 20th win of the season Saturday morning, as the Huskers travel to Minnesota. Tipoff from Williams Arena in Minneapolis is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be carried nationally on BTN and broadcast on the Huskers Radio Network, as well as on Huskers.com and on the official Huskers app.

The Huskers (19-0, 8-0 B1G) are coming off 76-66 win against Washington Wednesday evening. Nebraska shot 51 percent from the field and placed four in double figures, led by Pryce Sandfort's game-high 23 points. Sandfort had eight points in a 13-2 first-half run that helped NU build a 13-point lead, and the Huskers were in control the remainder of the contest. Sam Hoiberg added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists while Rienk Mast (12) and Jamarques Lawrence (11) also finished in double figures. 

Sandfort has been on a tear as of late, as the 6-foot-7 junior wing is averaging 24.3 points per game on 59 percent shooting, including 57 percent from 3-point range, over the last three contests. He enters the weekend leading the Big Ten in 3-pointers (64) and 3-point percentage (.418). 

The Huskers, whose 19-0 start is the best in program history, are a program-best seventh in this week's AP poll and bidding for their first 9-0 conference start in conference play since the 1965-66 season.

Best Starts in School History
No.	Wins	Year
1.	19-0	2025-26
2.	10-0	1977-78
3	9-0	1915-16
4.	7-0	2023-24
	7-0	1992-93
	7-0	1984-85

Minnesota (10-8, 3-5 B1G) comes off an 82-74 overtime loss at Ohio State on Tuesday evening. The Gophers had two shots in the final seconds of regulation to win before going to overtime. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson led Minnesota with 26 points and eight rebounds while Cade Tyson added 15 points and five boards. Tyson has been one of the Big Ten's top newcomers, averaging a team-high 20.5 ppg. Minnesota has been in its share of close games, as four of its last five games have been decided by three points or less or gone to overtime.

Numbers to Know
2010-11 - Nebraska is first team since Ohio State in 2010-11 to start 19-0 or better, as the Buckeyes started 24-0 that season. NU has won 23 straight, the longest win streak by a B1G team since 2010-11.

.778 - Nebraska is 7-2 in its last nine Big Ten road games dating back to last season following Saturday's win at Northwestern. The Huskers have also won their last 11 games away from Lincoln since March 31, 2025.

5.4 - Sam Hoiberg is third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (min. 3 assists per game) at 5.4-to-1 as of Jan. 22. Over the last 10 games dating back to Dec. 10, Hoiberg has 40 assists and just six turnovers in 307:35 of game actio and an impressive 3.1-1 steal-to-turnover ratio in that span

8 - With 129 career steals, Sam Hoiberg is now eight away from tying Benny Parker (137, 2013-16) and Larry Florence (137, 1997-2000) for 10th on NU's career steals list.

1,012 - Rienk Mast now has 1,012 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. 

54.2 - Nebraska's top four scorers (Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence) are combining for 54.2 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.

2 - Sam Hoiberg is one of two players nationally at 6-0 or under averaging at least five rebounds per game this season, joining Keon Thompson (Stephen F. Austin). Hoiberg grabbed a game-high seven rebounds in each of NU's last two contests.

3 - Braden Frager's three Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards is second only to Bryce McGowens (8 in 2021-22) among Huskers during the Big Ten era.

 

Huskers Earn Best Ranking In School History
The Huskers continued climbing the polls on Jan. 19, moving to seventh in both the AP and Coaches polls.

• The No. 7 ranking is the highest NU has ever been ranked. NU was ranked eighth last week and on Feb. 21, 1966. 

• 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 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. 

• The Huskers improved to 47-22 (.681) all-time when ranked in the AP poll following the win at Northwestern.

• Prior to its 2025-26 poll debut on Dec. 8, the Huskers had not been ranked in the AP poll since Dec. 31, 2018. 

• Nebraska has been ranked in each of the past six polls, including the last three weeks in the top 10. 

 

Worth Noting
• NU enters Saturday as one of three remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, joining Arizona and Miami (Ohio).  Arizona hosts West Virginia on Saturday while Miami (Ohio) is off until hosting UMass on Jan. 27.

• The Huskers are looking for their 24th straight win on Saturday. The 23-game win streak matches Michigan State, which won 23 games spanning the end of their 1999-2000 NCAA Championship season and the start of the 2000-01 season. Over the last 30 years, the only Big Ten teams with longer win streaks are Illinois (29, 2004-05) and Ohio State (24, 2010-11). 

• According to BTN Research, Nebraska's 19-0 start is the best by a Big Ten team since Ohio State opened 2010-11 season with 24 straight wins.

• Nebraska is looking for its fifth straight conference road win, a feat last achieved in 1965-66, when the Huskers won five straight Big Eight Conference road games between Jan. 4-Feb. 9, 1966 (at Iowa State, at Kansas State, at Oklahoma State, at Oklahoma and at Missouri).

• Nebraska is seeking its 20th win of the season on Saturday. A win against the Golden Gophers would give the Huskers three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.

• Nebraska’s 8-0 Big Ten start is the program's best conference start of the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). A win at Minnesota would give NU a 9-0 conference mark for the first time since opening the 1965-66 season with a 10-0 Big Eight mark.

• Nebraska is eighth in the NET rankings released on Jan. 22 following the win over Washington. The Huskers are one of five Big Ten teams in the top 11 of the NET (No. 1 Michigan, No. 5 Purdue, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 9 Illinois, No. 11 Michigan State). 

• As of Jan. 22, Nebraska's six Quad 1 wins ties for second nationally with Purdue and Arizona. Duke (eight) is the only team with more Quad 1 wins. NU is also 11-0 in the first two quads, as the 11 wins trails only Michigan (12) nationally. 

• The Huskers have one Minnesota native on the roster in senior guard Kendall Blue. The Woodbury, Minn., native spent his first three seasons at St. Thomas, where he totaled more than 1,000 career points. In addition, his mother, Lisa Lissimore, played for a season at Minnesota. 

• Nebraska comes into the Minnesota game with 23 straight wins, breaking the school record for consecutive wins. The 23 straight wins shattered the mark of 14 set two other times (1912-13 and 1990-91). It is the longest active streak in the nation and dates back to the first round of the 2025 College Basketball Crown. Before the current win streak, NU's longest streak under Fred Hoiberg was a seven-game streak to start the 2023-24 season. The win over MSU on Jan. 2 is the only time in the 23-game win streak that NU was held under 1.00 points per possession. 

Longest Win Streaks in School History

No.	Season	Win Streak	Date Started	Date Ended
1.	2024-25/25-26	23 games	3-31-25	present
2.	1990-91	14 games	11-28-90	1-22-91
	1911-12/12-13	14 games	1-27-12	1-25-13
4	1919-20/20-21	13 games	2-6-20	1-3-21
	1897-98/1900-01	13 games	2-22-1898	1901**
6.	1912-13	12 games	1-31-13	3-12-13

• Since the start of the 2023-24 season, NU is 63-25 (.715) while the 63 wins ties for fourth among Big Ten teams in that span (Purdue-75; Michigan State and Illinois-66; Nebraska and Wisconsin-63).

• Nebraska is now 2-0 against ranked foes this season following the win over No. 9 Michigan State on Jan. 2. Since March 1, 2022, the Huskers are now 11-11 in the last 22 games against ranked teams, including 5-2 against top-10 teams. Prior to that, NU had lost 24 straight against ranked teams dating back to the 2019 Big Ten Tournament. After Minnesota, the Huskers travel to No. 3 Michigan (Tuesday) and host No. 11 Illinois (Feb. 1).

• The Huskers lead the Big Ten and rank 13th nationally with 10.9 3-pointers made per game as of Jan. 22. It is on pace to break NU's single-season record (9.54 in 2001-02) and Big Ten record (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 13 times this season, including 17 against both Oregon and FIU and 15 vs. Oklahoma.  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 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. 

• Nebraska is averaging 81.2 ppg, which is the Huskers' highest scoring average after 18 games since the 1995-96 season (86.4 ppg). The 1995-96 team marked the last time Nebraska averaged 80.0 ppg in a season and one of just six teams in school history to average 80.0+ ppg. Nebraska's highest season average under Hoiberg is 77.7 ppg in 2024-25.

• NU's team 2.03-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks third nationally as of Jan. 19. 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 the Minnesota game ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 16th nationally with 18.3 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.

• Nebraska has been stout defensively, ranking third in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.390). The Huskers are also 20th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 65.4 ppg.

•The Huskers have held 12 of their 19 opponents to under 1.0 points per possession.  Over the last three-plus seasons, NU is 52-3 (.945) when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 54-5 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.

• The Huskers have excelled in close games this season, going 4-0 in games decided by one possession, including three times in Big Ten play. Last year, NU was 0-6 in games decided by one possession. 

• 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 Jan. 22, 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 22 double-digit scoring runs this season, which is tied for eighth nationally according to EvanMiya.com as of Jan. 22. It is tied for second among Big Ten teams with Purdue, trailing only Michigan (28).

• Mast (1,680 points, 1012 rebounds) is one of two active Division I players with at least 1,600 points and 1,000 rebounds as of Jan. 19, joining Gonzaga's Graham Ike (2,261 points, 1,042 rebounds). 

• Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg spent two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves (2003-05) before joining the Timberwolves front office for five seasons (2005-10). Hoiberg helped the Timberwolves to 58 wins and the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04. In his final season, he led the NBA in 3-point percentage (.483).

Washington Recap
The No. 7 Nebraska men’s basketball team used an early run to take control in a 76-66 win over Washington 76-66 on Jan. 21. Pryce Sandfort paced the Huskers with 23 points for his third-straight 20-point game and eighth of the season. Sam Hoiberg added 14 points along with four assists and seven rebounds, while Rienk Mast (12) and Jamarques Lawrence (11) also reached double figures for NU. As a team, NU shot 50.9 percent from the field, including 11-of-29 from 3-point range, marking the third straight game NU shot 50 percent or better. 

Mast helped the Huskers take control during a back-and-forth start to the game, scoring all seven of his first-half points in a three-minute span, as Nebraska built a 19-13 lead.
Washington pulled to within 19-17 before Sandfort scored eight of his 10 first-half points in a 13-2 tun that gave the Huskers a 32-19 lead with 6:30 left. The Huskies eventually pulled to within 36-28 with just over three minutes left, but Hoiberg closed the half on a 5-0 run to extend NU’s lead to 41-28 at the break.

Hannes Steinbach, who fished with 21 points and 12 rebounds, worked to get Washington back into the game in the second half, but three-pointers from Sandfort and Mast grew the lead to 61-44 with 10:41 remaining.

 

Notes from the Washington Game
• Nebraska improved to 19-0 to continue the best start in program history. The Huskers also extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 23 consecutive games, which is also a school record.

• NU is now 8-0 in Big Ten play, its best conference start since the 1965-66 season (10-0). 

• The Huskers have now posted 11 double-digit victories this season, including nine double-digit wins in 12 home games.

• Pryce Sandfort scored a game-high 23 points, his third consecutive game with 20 or more points. Sandfort has eight 20-point efforts this season and nine in his career. Sandfort was 4-of-7 from the 3-point line, and he has now made 16-of-28 3-pointers over the last three games (57.1 percent).

• Sam Hoiberg scored 14 points, the second-highest total of his career in a Big Ten Conference game, one shy of the 15 points he scored at Maryland in 2023. He also tied for team highs in rebounds (seven) and assists (four).

• Nebraska has 18 assists and just eight turnovers, the fourth straight game with eight or fewer assists.