No. 9 Huskers Battle Penn State Saturday Afternoon
The No. 9/9 (AP/Coaches) Nebraska men's basketball team returns home this Saturday to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions to begin a two-game homestand. Tipoff from a sold out Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for shortly after 1 p.m. and the game will be televised 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 (22-4, 11-4 B1G) look to bounce back from a 57-52 loss at Iowa Tuesday evening. Despite being held to a season-low point total on 41 percent shooting, Nebraska battled and was down three twice in the final minute before the Hawkeyes put the game away at the foul line. Nebraska held Iowa to 33 percent shooting, but a 37-24 advantage on the glass was too much for the Huskers to overcome. Iowa went 17-of-18 from the line in the win, including 7-of-7 in the final minute, and got a game-high 25 points from Bennett Stirtz.
Despite the loss, junior Pryce Sandfort etched his name into the Husker record book with his 90th 3-pointer of the season, breaking the mark of 89 set by Cary Cochran back in 2001-02. Sandfort, who had a team-high 13 points against Iowa, tops the Huskers at 17.3 points per game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Sandfort, who was named to the Naismith Trophy Late-Season Team on Thursday, has upped his average to 18.9 ppg in Big Ten play.
Penn State (11-16, 2-14 B1G) comes off an 85-72 loss to Rutgers on Wednesday. Rutgers opened the contest with a 16-2 run and withstood a second-half Penn State comeback which saw the Nittany Lions cut a 20-point deficit to 76-68 with just under three minutes remaining. Josh Reed had 22 points and six rebounds as Penn State placed three players in double figures.
Numbers to Know
.367 - Nebraska has held its last three opponents to a combined 36.7 percent shooting. On the season, NU ranks 17th nationally at 39.7 percent shooting
9.5 - Nebraska ranks 19th nationally with 9.5 turnovers per game. NU is one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 25 nationally in fewest turnovers per game.
53.7 - Nebraska's top four scorers (Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence) are combining for 53.7 points per game. None of them were in the Husker lineup last season.
28 - In Nebraska's five games against ranked opponents this season, Sam Hoiberg has a 28-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and is averaging 1.4 steals per game.
80+ - Nebraska is 50-10 (.833) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 41-7 mark over the last three-plus seasons. Of those seven losses since the start of 2022-23, four came in overtime.
11 - Pryce Sandfort has 11 20-point games, which ties Bryce McGowens (2021-22) for the most 20-point games since 2011-12. The only Huskers with more 20-point games in a season in the Big Ten era are Brice Williams (20, 2024-25) James Palmer (18, 2018-19) and Terran Petteway (13, 2014-15; 12, 2013-14).
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.
2 - According to Stathead, Sam Hoiberg is one of two players - and the only power conference player - nationally at 6-0 or under averaging at least five rebounds per game this season. Over the past six seasons, only two power conference players 6-0 or under have grabbed 5+ rebounds per game.
Sandfort Named to Naismith Trophy Late-Season Team
Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort was named to the 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late-Season Team on Thursday. The junior forward is one 30 players now in contention for the award, as Sandfort has helped Nebraska to a 22-4 record and a No. 9 national ranking. Sandfort is one of seven Big Ten players on the 30-member list.
On the season, he is averaging 17.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, as he is 12th in the Big Ten in scoring, first in 3-pointers per game (3.5) and third in 3-point percentage. His 3-pointers per game rank 11th nationally, as he has already set Nebraska’s single-season record with 90 3-pointers on the year.
Huskers Remain in Top 10 for Seventh Straight Week
Nebraska continued its run in the AP Top 10 on Monday, checking in at No. 9. The Huskers are also No. 9 in the Coaches poll released Monday afternoon.
• Nebraska has now been in the top 10 for seven straight weeks, the longest stretch in school history. The previous best was four weeks from Feb. 7-28, 1966. The Huskers have now been ranked for 10 straight weeks dating back to Dec. 8.
• 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 51-26 (.662) all-time when ranked in the AP poll following Tuesday's loss at Iowa.
• 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.
Coaches for Autism Awareness
The Husker coaching staff will wear pins on Saturday, as part of Coaches for Autism Awareness Week, which runs from Feb. 21-28. Coaches for Autism Awareness is an annual initiative bringing the NCAA and High School Basketball communities together to champion the mission of Autism Speaks. Since 2014, Autism Speaks has distributed over 9,000 puzzle piece pins to more than 450 colleges and high schools, giving coaches, staff, and broadcasters a way to promote inclusivity at games.
Worth Noting
• Nebraska's 22-4 record this season marks just the third time that Nebraska has won 22 of its first 26 games and first since the 1990-91 season.
• Nebraska's 22 wins marks just the seventh time that the Huskers have won at least 22 games in a season. A win on Saturday vs. Penn State would move the 2025-26 team into a second-place tie with the 2023-24 squad.
• The Huskers now have three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. In addition, Nebraska has already won 22 games, marking the eighth time in program history that Nebraska has won 20-or-more games in the regular season. The only time Nebraska won more regular-season games was in 1990-91, when the Huskers entered the Big Eight Conference Tournament with 24 wins.
• Nebraska has 43 wins over the past two seasons, the third-highest consecutive year total in school history. NU won 45 games spanning the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons and 44 games spanning the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns.
• Nebraska is 6-2 on the road in Big Ten play in 2025-26. The six road wins in conference play is already a program record, as NU still has two road games remaining (at USC, at UCLA). Prior to this season,
the record was five conference road wins set four other times, the most recent in 1965-66. NU is 9-2 away from Pinnacle Bank Arena this season.
• Nebraska’s 11-4 Big Ten record is just the seventh time in school history that the Huskers have won 11 or more conference games. With a win on Saturday, NU would win 12 conference games for just the fifth time in school history, including second in the last three years.
• Nebraska is 13-2 at home this season and is 52-13 (.800) at Pinnacle Bank Arena over the past four seasons.
• 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 is 2-3 vs. ranked teams in 2025-26 following the overtime loss to Purdue on Feb. 10. Since March 1, 2022, the Huskers are 11-14 in the last 25 games against ranked teams, including 5-4 against top-10 teams. Prior to that, NU had lost 24 straight against ranked teams dating back to the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.
• Nebraska is 11th in the NET rankings released on Feb. 19. The Huskers are one of five Big Ten teams in the top 15 of the NET (No. 1 Michigan, No. 4 Illinois, No. 8 Purdue, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 12 Michigan State).
• As of Feb. 19, Nebraska's is 12-4 in the first two quads (5-4 in Q1, 7-0 in Q2) with all three losses currently to teams in the top 25 of the NET.
• 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 66-29 (.694) while the 66 wins is fifth among Big Ten teams in that span (Purdue-79; Illinois-73; Michigan State-71; Wisconsin-67; Nebraska-66) as of Feb. 19.
Noting the Husker Offense
• Nebraska is averaging 78.2 ppg, which is the Huskers' highest scoring average after 26 games since the 1995-96 season (82.0 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 49th nationally in offensive efficiency in KenPom, the second-highest ranking in Fred Hoiberg's seven seasons at NU (32nd in 2023-24).
• The Huskers are third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally with 10.8 3-pointers made per game as of Feb. 19. NU is on pace to break the single-season record of 9.54 set in 2001-02. Nebraska is one of three 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's 280 3-pointers ranks second in school history, trailing only the school record of 319 set in 2023-24.
• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers 17 times this season, including 17 against both Oregon and FIU and 15 each against 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 teammates hit seven or more 3-pointers in a game.
• The Huskers rank fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90-to-1) as of Feb. 19. It is on track to shatter the school mark of 1.81 set in 1984-85. The Big Ten has three of the top four teams nationally
in that category (Purdue-1st; Northwestern-3rd; Nebraska-4th).
• Nebraska enters the Penn State game ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 17th nationally with 18.1 assists per game. It is an increase of 4.2 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 fifth in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in turnovers per game at 9.5 per contest. The 9.5 turnovers per game is on pace to break the school mark of 9.96 per game set in 2018-19.
Noting the Husker Defense
• Nebraska has been stout defensively this season, ranking third in the Big Ten and 17th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.396).
• The Huskers are second in the Big Ten and 18th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 65.6 ppg. The 65.6 ppg allowed is 7.0 points per game fewer than last season and on pace to be NU's lowest scoring defense since the 2014-15 season (63.1 ppg).
• The Huskers have held 15 opponents to under 1.00 points per possession and have a 14-1 mark in those games. Over the last four seasons, NU is 55-4 (.932) when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 57-6 when holding opponents to under 70 points.
• Nebraska is second in the Big Ten with 7.2 steals per game.
• The Huskers are second in the Big Ten and 21st nationally in turnover margin at +3.5 per game.
• Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons and are fifth nationally as of Feb. 19. 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.
This and That
• The Huskers have excelled in close games this season, going 4-2 in games decided by one possession, including a 3-2 mark 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. Nebraska nearly erased a 22-point deficit in the overtime loss to No. 13 Purdue on Feb. 10.
• As of Feb. 19, there have been 23 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 26 double-digit scoring runs this season, which is tied for 12th nationally according to EvanMiya.com as of Feb. 19.
• Nine Huskers have posted double-figure efforts this season, while four players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-11; Braden Frager-5; Rienk Mast-4; Jamarques Lawrence-2).
• 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).
Iowa Recap
On a night when a 24-year offensive school record fell, the No. 9 Nebraska basketball team came up short in a defensive battle at Iowa on Feb. 17, falling to the host Hawkeyes, 57-52.
The Huskers were held to a season-low 52 points against a stingy Iowa defense. NU was also limited to five 3-pointers, tying for their fewest in a game this season. Pryce Sandfort had two of Nebraska's five 3-pointers, increasing his season total to 90 threes as he set a school record for most 3-pointers in a season. Sandfort finished with a team-high 13 points, and he was joined in double figures by Jamarques Lawrence, who added 11 points. Nebraska was held to a season-low 44 shots and tied its season low with 18 field goals. The Huskers shot just 41 percent from the field and were 5-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Nebraska's defense kept the game close as the Huskers held Iowa to 33 percent shooting, but the Hawkeyes benefitted from a plus-10 advantage in points off turnovers and a plus-10 edge in offensive rebounds. The loss was Nebraska's first to an unranked team this season, as the Huskers fell to 22-4 on the year and dropped to 11-4 in Big Ten play. Iowa improved to 19-7 overall and 9-6 in conference action. The Hawkeyes were led by Bennett Stirtz who scored a game-high 25 points.
Notes from the Iowa Game
• Nebraska falls to 22-4 on the season with its fourth straight loss to Iowa dating back to Jan. 12, 2024.
• The home team has now won 14 of the past 17 meetings in the series.
• Nebraska’s 52 points was a season low (58 vs. Michigan State).
• The Huskers held Iowa to 33.3 percent shooting, the 13th opponent held under 40 percent this season. It was NU's best defensive effort against a conference team since holding Michigan to 29.5 percent on Feb. 24, 2025.
• Pryce Sandfort set Nebraska’s single-season 3-point record with two 3-pointers against Iowa. Sandfort now has 90 3-pointers on the season, breaking the mark of 89 by Cary Cochran in 2001-02.
• With two steals, Sam Hoiberg moved past Brandon Richardson (145, 2009-12) for ninth on NU’s career steals list. He now has 54 steals on the season, the most since Richardson had 54 in 2012.