No. 10 Huskers Travel to Indiana on Saturday

The No. 10 Nebraska men's basketball team concludes a two-game road swing on Saturday, as the Huskers travel to Bloomington. Tipoff from Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is set for 11:00 a.m. (central) 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 (15-0, 4-0 B1G) remained unbeaten following a 72-69 road win at Ohio State on Monday night. The Huskers trailed 59-58 with just under five minutes remaining before Rienk Mast's 3-point play started a decisive 9-0 run to put the Huskers ahead for good. OSU pulled to within 70-69 with 14 seconds remaining, but Jamarques Lawrence hit a pair of free throws while Christoph Tilley's 3-point attempt in the final seconds was off the mark to five the Huskers their 19th straight victory dating back to last season. 

Redshirt freshman Braden Frager scored a game-high 15 points off the bench to pace four Huskers in double figures. The Huskers' depth shined through as NU enjoyed a 22-0 advantage in bench points in the win over the Buckeyes. Frager has been one of the best reserves in the Big Ten, averaging 11.7 points per game on 53 percent shooting and 4.2 rebounds per game. 

The Huskers, whose 15-0 start is the best in program history, became just the third team to hold Ohio State under 70 points, well under the Buckeyes' season average of 85.8 ppg entering the contest.

Best Starts in School History
No.	Wins	Year
1.	15-0	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

Indiana (12-3, 3-1 B1G) comes off an impressive 84-66 road win at Maryland on Wednesday. Lamar Wilkinson had a game-high 24 points to pace four Hoosiers in double figures. Indiana outrebounded Maryland, 41-33, and went 22-of-26 from the foul line while holding Maryland to 41 percent shooting, including 5-of-26 from 3-point range. The Hoosiers have won four straight games since a road loss at Kentucky on Dec. 13.

Numbers to Know
.714 - Nebraska is 5-2 in its last seven Big Ten road games dating back to last season following Monday's win at OSU. The Huskers have also won their last nine games away from Lincoln since March 31, 2025.

3- Rienk Mast needs three rebounds to reach 1,000 rebounds for his career. To put the number in perspective, only two Huskers have ever totaled 1,000 career rebounds (Venson Hamilton (1,080) and Aleks Maric (1,015)

5.8 - Sam Hoiberg is third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (min. 3 assists per game) at 5.8-to-1 as of Jan. 8. Over the last six games dating back to Dec. 10, Hoiberg has 22 assists and just two turnovers in 181:38 of game action.

34 - Fred Hoiberg has 34 wins over ranked opponents, including 12 wins against top-10 teams, in his collegiate coaching career. In addition, his six road wins against ranked opponents is second only to Danny Nee (seven) all-time among NU men's basketball coaches.

53.3 - Nebraska's top four scorers (Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence) are combining for 53.3 points per game. None of them were in the Husker lineup last season.

80+ - Nebraska is 47-10 (.824) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 38-7 mark over the last three-plus seasons. Of those seven losses since the start of 2022-23, four came in overtime.

Huskers Climb Into Top-10 for First time since 1966
The Huskers earned one of their highest rankings in school history this week when they were ranked 10th in the AP poll. NU was also 11th in this week's coaches poll. 

• It marks the first time that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 10 since a No. 9 ranking on Feb. 28, 1996. That season is the only season in program history that Nebraska has been ranked in the top 10 in the AP Poll, spending four straight weeks in the poll (Feb. 7-28). NU climbed to a program-best 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 44-22 (.667) all-time when ranked in the AP poll following the 72-69 win at Ohio State on Monday night. 

• Prior to its 2025-26 poll debut on Dec. 8, the Huskers had not been ranked in the AP poll since the 2018-19 season (Dec. 31, 2018). 

Worth Noting
• Nebraska enters the weekend as one of six unbeaten teams in Division I, joining Michigan, Arizona, Iowa State, Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio).  According to Matt Norlander of CBS, it is the most unbeaten teams as of Jan. 7 (not counting 2020-21 Covid season) since 2013-14.

• Nebraska’s 4-0 Big Ten start is the program's best conference start of the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). A win at Indiana on Saturday would give NU a 5-0 conference mark for the first time since opening the 1965-66 season with seven straight wins in the Big Eight. 

 

• With a 15-0 mark, Nebraska is unbeaten entering January for the first time since the 1928-29 season. The 1928-29 team was 1-0 with a win over South Dakota State. Since the end of WWI, NU has entered January unbeaten only two other times (1919-20, 2-0; 1928-29, 1-0). 

• Nebraska stayed at No. 11 in the NET on Jan. 8 following Monday's win over Ohio State.  NU is one of six Big Ten teams in the top 20 of the NET (No. 1 Michigan, No. 7 Purdue, No. 10 Illinois, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 12 Michigan State and No. 18 Iowa) as of Jan. 8. No conference has more teams in the top 25 and top 50 of the NET than the Big Ten. 

• As of Jan. 8, Nebraska's four Quad 1 wins ties for fourth nationally, trailing only Duke, Iowa State and Vanderbilt, which have five each. NU is also 8-0 in the first two quads. The Huskers go for their fifth Quad 1 win of the season on Saturday at Indiana, which is No. 30 in the NET.

• Nebraska completed its non-conference slated 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).

• The Huskers have excelled in close games this season, going 4-0 in games decided by one possession, including each of the past two games. Last year, NU was 0-6 in games decided by one possession. 

• Nebraska comes into the Indiana game with 19 straight wins, breaking the school record for consecutive wins. The 19 straight wins broke 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 Jan. 2 win over MSU is the only time in the 19-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	19 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

 

• 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.

• Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg goes for his 100th win at Nebraska on Saturday at Indiana. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, NU is 59-25 (.702) while the 59 wins ties for fourth among Big Ten teams in that span (Purdue-72; Michigan State-63; Illinois-62; Nebraska and Wisconsin-59).

• The Huskers are second in the Big Ten and 35th nationally with 10.3 3-pointers made per game as of Jan. 8. It is on track to break the school the school record by nearly one 3-pointer per game. NU led the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game in 2023-24, the fifth time a Hoiberg-coached team led the conference in 3-pointers per game. Saturday's matchup features the two most prolific 3-point shooting teams in the Big Ten, as Indiana (10.5) and Nebraska (10.3) rank first and second in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game.

• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers nine times in 14 games, including 17 against FIU and 15 vs. Oklahoma.  It marked only the seventh and eighth time in school history that NU had at least 15 3-pointers in a game. Last year, the Huskers hit 10-or-more 3-pointers just seven times in 35 contests.

• Nebraska is averaging 81.1 ppg, which is the Huskers' highest scoring average after 15 games since the 1995-96 season (87.5 ppg). The 1995-96 team marked the last time Nebraska averaged 80.0 ppg in a season. Nebraska's highest season average under Hoiberg is 77.7 ppg in 2024-25.

• NU's team 1.90-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks seventh nationally as of Jan. 8. NU is one of three Big Ten teams in the top five nationally in that category (Northwestern 1st; Purdue, 2nd). It is on track to shatter the school mark of 1.81 set in 1984-85. NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio under Hoiberg is 1.38-to-1 in 2023-24. The Huskers have four games with at least 20 assists and six or fewer turnovers (vs. Oklahoma, Winthrop, at Illinois, North Dakota).

• Nebraska enters Saturday's game at Indiana ranked seventh in the Big Ten and 28th nationally with 18.2 assists per game. It is an increase of 4.4 assists per game from last season. NU has averaged 20 assists only two times in school history (1990-91 and 1984-85), and Nebraska's highest assist per game total under Hoiberg is 15.3 per game in 2023-24.

•Nine Huskers have posted double-figure efforts this season, while four players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-5; Rienk Mast-4; Braden Frager-2; Jamarques Lawrence-1).

• The Huskers posted their second double-digit comeback of the season against USC Upstate on Nov. 29, overcoming a 12-point first-half deficit. During its 19-game win streak, NU now has four comebacks from 10+ points (Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma and USC Upstate).

• Nebraska has held 10 of its 15 opponents to under 1.0 points per possession, including six of the last eight opponents. OSU was held to 1.01 ppp, well under its season average entering the contest.

• Over the last three-plus seasons, NU is 49-3 (.941) when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 51-5 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.

• Following the win over New Hampshire on Dec. 30, Nebraska has won a school-record 22 straight non-conference games dating back to Nov. 22, 2024. It is also the nation's longest non-conference win streak. NU has also won 16 straight home games against non-conference foes dating back to the 2023-24 season.

• Rienk Mast is one of 11 players nationally - and five from power conference teams - averaging at least 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as of Jan. 8.  He comes into the Indiana game averaging a career-high 16.3 points per game.

• Mast (1,641 points, 993 rebounds) is one of two active Division I players with at least 1,600 points and 900 rebounds as of Jan. 3, joining Gonzaga's Graham Ike (2,227 points, 1,031 rebounds). Mast also ranks in the top 15 among active NCAA players in points, rebounds and games played.

• Pryce Sandfort has been one of the Big Ten's top transfers, as he enters the Indiana game averaging 15.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Sandfort has a team-high five 20-point games, including a career-high 32 points at No. 13 Illinois on Dec. 13.

• Sandfort is making a similar leap that his brother Payton made between his second and third collegiate seasons. The elder Sandfort saw his scoring average jump from 10.3 to 16.4 while also averaging more than two more rebounds per game as a junior.

• Sandfort is second in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and three games with at least five 3-pointers (FIU, vs. Kansas State and at Illinois).

• Saturday's game at Indiana will feature the Big Ten's top trio of 3-point shooters, as Sandfort (2nd) and Indiana's Lamar Wilkinson (1st) and Tucker DeVries (3rd) rank in the top three of 3-pointers per game.

• Braden Frager has emerged as one of the top freshmen in the Big Ten as he comes into Saturday's game with Indiana averaging 11.7 points per game on 53 percent shooting.

• Frager ranks sixth among all Big Ten freshmen in scoring and is one of two Big Ten freshmen averaging double figures while starting under 50 percent of their team's games.  He is also second among all Big Ten reserves in scoring, trailing only Penn State's Freddie Dilione V (14.3 ppg).

• With his two Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week honors, he is just the third Husker player in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present) to earn multiple weekly honors.

• In the Big Ten era, only one Husker freshman finished the season averaging double figures - Bryce McGowens in 2021-22 (16.8 ppg) - while only seven Husker freshmen in school history have finished the year averaging double figures.

• Nebraska is 48-14 (.774) over the past three-plus seasons when Sam Hoiberg plays at least 20 minutes.  The senior is setting career bests in nearly every category, including scoring (8.3 ppg), rebounding (4.9 rpg), assists (3.9 apg) and steals (1.7 spg).

• Hoiberg became Nebraska's most recent graduate, as he received his degree in media and sports communications on Dec. 20. Hoiberg joins Rienk Mast (who has both undergraduate and graduate degrees), Cale Jacobsen and Jared Garcia as graduates on the 2025-26 Husker roster.

• As of Jan. 7, there have been 16 triple-doubles in Division I basketball this season while Nebraska is the only school with multiple players recording a triple double. Over the last seven seasons, only five schools - Nebraska (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 18 double-digit scoring runs this season, which is tied for 12th nationally according to EvanMiya.com as of Jan. 7. It is third among Big Ten teams, trailing only Michigan (26) and Purdue (20).

Ohio State Recap
The 10th-ranked Huskers remained undefeated, using a late 9-0 run to defeat Ohio State, 72-69, at Value City Arena on. Jan. 5. 

Nebraska led for the majority of the game but found itself trailing 58-57 with under five minutes to play. But the Huskers responded with the decisive 9-0 run to turn the one-point deficit into an eight-point lead with under two minutes to play. Nebraska then held off a late rally by Ohio State to improve to 15-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big Ten Conference play.

It was a balanced night for the Big Red offense as all eight Huskers who played scored at least three points. Jamarques Lawrence and Pryce Sandfort each had 11 points while Rienk Mast scored 12 and Braden Frager led the Huskers with 15 points. Frager scored nine of his 15 points in the second half, including scoring seven of Nebraska's final nine points down the stretch with a pair of key three-point plays.

Ohio State shot better than Nebraska from the field and the 3-point line, and the Buckeyes enjoyed a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers. But the Husker reserves outscored the Ohio State bench 22-0, and Nebraska enjoyed a plus-nine advantage on the glass, led by nine rebounds from Sam Hoiberg, who also paced NU with four assists.

Notes from the Ohio State Game
• Nebraska improved to 15-0 on the season, extending the best start in school history and has won 19 straight games dating back to last season.

• Nebraska improved to 4-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since joining the conference in the 2011-12 season.

• The win at OSU marked NU’s first win as a top-10 team since a 79-69 win over Kansas St. on March 1, 1966.

• Nebraska improved to 4-0 in Big Ten play for the first time in school history (2011-12 to present) and 4-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1975-76 team started 4-0 in the Big Eight Conference.

• Nebraska had its 18th double-figure run of the season with a 12-0 spurt in the first half.

• Nebraska improves to 4-0 in games decided by one possession with three of those away from home.

• Freshman Braden Frager led NU with 15 points off the bench. It was the third time he led NU in scoring and his ninth double-figure performance off the bench.

• Nebraska outscored OSU’s bench 22-0.

• Sam Hoiberg led NU with nine rebounds, the third time he topped NU in boards this season. Hoiberg has grabbed 9 or more rebounds in two of the last three games. 

• Nebraska out-rebounded Ohio State, 38-29 and allowed just two second-chance points.

• Nebraska was the third team to hold Ohio State to under 70 points this year (Pitt and Notre Dame).