Huskers Host Illinois in Top-10 Matchup on Sunday

• Nebraska's 20-1 start marks just the fifth time in school history that a Husker team has started 18-3 or better in its first 21 games. The 2025-26 Huskers are one game ahead of the 1920-21 team that went 19-2 en route to posting a 22-2 mark. 

Best 21-Game Starts

Year	21-game record	Final Record
2025-26	20-1	TBD
1919-20	19-2	22-2
1990-91	18-3	26-8
1965-66	18-3	20-5
1977-78	18-3	22-8

• The Huskers saw their 24-game win streak snapped on Tuesday. It was the longest Division I win streak since Gonzaga won 35 straight games from Feb. 272020to April 32021.

• 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.

• The Huskers now have three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. In additionNebraska has already won 20 games this seasonmarking the eighth time in program history that Nebraska has won 20-or-more games in the regular season.

• Nebraska’s 9-1 Big Ten start is the program's best conference start of the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). A win against Illinois would match the program's best 11-game conference start since WW1as the 1965-66 team went 10-1 in its first 11 Big Eight games.

• Nebraska is 12-0 at home this yearincluding nine wins by double figures.

• Nebraska is fifth in the NET rankings released on Jan. 30 following the loss to Michigan. The Huskers are one of five Big Ten teams in the top 11 of the NET (No. 3 MichiganNo. 5 NebraskaNo. 7 IllinoisNo. 9 Michigan State and No. 11 Purdue). The Big Ten (4) and Big 12 (3) are the only conferences with multiple teams in the top 10 of the NET.

• As of Jan. 30Nebraska's six Quad 1 wins ties for third nationally as the only two teams with more Quad 1 wins are Arizona (nine) and Duke (eight). NU is also 12-1 in the first two quadsas the 12 wins tie UConnDuke and Arizona for second nationally. Only Michigan (13) has more wins in the first two quads.

• 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 seasonset four other timesmost recently in 1965-66. Nebraska won its first five Big Ten road gamesmatching the school's longest road conference win streak since the 1965-66 season.

• 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). 

No.	Season	Win Streak	Date Started	Date Ended
1.	2024-25/25-26	24 games	3-31-2025	1-27-2026
2.	1990-91	14 games	11-28-1990	1-22-1991
	1911-12/12-13	14 games	1-27-1912	1-25-1913
4.	1919-20/20-21	13 games	2-6-1920	1-3-1921
	1897-98/1900-01	13 games	2-22-1898	1901**

• Since the start of the 2023-24 seasonNU is 64-26 (.711) while the 64 wins is tied for fourth among Big Ten teams in that span (Purdue-75; Michigan State and Illinois-67; Nebraska and Wisconsin-64).

• Nebraska is 2-1 vs. ranked teams in 2025-26 and looking for its third ranked win of the season against No. 9 Illinois on Sunday.  Since March 12022the Huskers are 11-12 in the last 23 games against ranked teamsincluding 5-3 against top-10 teams. Prior to thatNU had lost 24 straight against ranked teams dating back to the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.

• Sunday's game features the top 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten as Illinois is 10th nationally (11.0 3-pointers per game) while Nebraska is 17th nationally at 10.9 3-pointers per contest.

Noting the Husker Offense
• Nebraska is averaging 80.5 ppgwhich is the Huskers' highest scoring average after 21 games since the 1995-96 season (84.9 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. 

• Nebraska is currently 21st nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPomwhich would be the Huskers' highest KenPom offensive ranking (24th2003-04 under Barry Collier). That is the only time in the KenPom era where NU was in the top-25 nationally in offensive efficiency. Of notefour of Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State teams ranked in the top-25 nationally (2011-1212-1313-1414-15). 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 17th nationally with 10.9 3-pointers made per game as of Jan. 29. 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 2023-24the fifth time a Hoiberg-coached team led the conference in 3-pointers per game.

• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers 14 times this seasonincluding 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 seven 3-pointers in a game. According to Statheadit 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 Jan. 30. 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 (Northwestern-1st; Purdue-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 game ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 13th nationally with 18.5 assists per game. It is an increase of 4.6 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 gamesit is just 8.2 per contest. 

Noting the Husker Defense
• Nebraska has been stout defensivelyranking third in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.394). The Huskers are also 21st nationally in scoring defenseallowing just 65.4 ppg.

•The Huskers have held 13 of their 21 opponents to under 1.0 points per possession.  Over the last three-plus seasonsNU 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 2025-26as the Huskers are 10th nationally as of Jan. 30.

This and That
• The Huskers have excelled in close games this seasongoing 4-1 in games decided by one possessionincluding a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play. Last yearNU was 0-6 in games decided by one possession. 

• The Huskers posted their third double-digit comeback of the season against Indiana on Jan. 10overcoming 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 deficitincluding seven times in the last two seasons. 

• As of Jan. 30there 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 seasonsonly 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 23 double-digit scoring runs this seasonwhich is tied for 11th nationally according to EvanMiya.com as of Jan. 30. It is second in the Big Tentrailing only Michigan's (29).

• Nebraska completed its non-conference slate with a perfect 11-0 recordmarking 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 seasonwhile four players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-9; Rienk Mast-4; Braden Frager-4; Jamarques Lawrence-2).

Michigan Recap
A short-handed Nebraska men's basketball team put together a terrific effort Tuesday night at No. 3 Michiganbut the fifth-ranked Huskers suffered their first defeat of the season with a 75-72 loss at the Crisler Center.

Nebraska was without two of its top three scorers for the top-five matchupas Rienk Mast (illness) and Braden Frager (injury) each missed the contest. Playing its second road game in four daysNebraska used a seven-man rotation against the Wolverineswith four Husker starters playing at least 35 minutes. 

Despite a short benchNebraska led more than 36 minutes against the high-powered Wolverines. The Huskers led by two at halftime and were on top 70-65 with 5:52 to play. But from thereNebraska missed eight of its final nine shots and did not score over the final 3:20as Michigan closed the game on a 6-0 run.

Michigan made only one field goal over the final 5:30but that one basket proved to be the game-winneras a Trey McKenney bucket gave the Wolverines a 74-72 lead with 1:07 remaining. The lead was Michigan's first advantage since it led 3-2.

Nebraska (20-19-1 Big Ten) hit 11 3-pointers in the game but just one after halftime. The Huskers shot 46 percent and had eight fewer turnovers than the Wolverinesbut Michigan shot 19 more free throwswas plus-12 on the glass and enjoyed a 22-6 margin in bench points.

Jamarques Lawrence and Pryce Sandfort each scored 20 points for the Huskersas Sandfort posted his fifth straight 20-point game. Sam Hoiberg had another strong gamefinishing with 13 pointsseven reboundsfive assists and four steals without committing a turnover.

Notes from the Michigan Game
• NU suffered its first loss since March 92025snapping a 24-game win streakincluding a 20-0 start in 2025-26.

• Nebraska falls to 5-1 in road games and 8-1 in games away from Pinnacle Bank Arena this season.

• Michigan snapped NU’s streak of three straight wins against top-10 opponents dating back to 2023-24.

• Cale Jacobsen earned his first start of the season on Tuesday. It is the third different starting lineup of the season. The Huskers were without Rienk Mast (illness) and Braden Frager (ankle).

• Nebraska fell to 4-1 in games decided by three points or less.

• Pryce Sandfort posted his fifth straight 20-point game and 10th of the season with 20 points. He is the first Husker to have 20+ points in five straight games since Brice Williams last season.

• Freshman Leo Curtis tied a career-high with six pointsas he had six points in back-to-back games against FIU and Maryland-Eastern Shore. Curtis played a season-high 13 minutes at Michigan.

• Nebraska’s 50 first-half points was a season high (49 vs. FIU)