Streaking Huskers Return Home to Face Winthrop Tuesday Evening

The Nebraska men's basketball team looks to remain unbeaten Tuesday night as the Huskers host Winthrop at Pinnacle Bank Arena to begin a four-game homestand.  Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (central) and 300 Level tickets are available for the matchup by visiting Huskers.com/Tickets or at the PBA Ticket Office beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be televised on BTN, while the radio broadcast is available on the Husker Sports Network, as well as on Huskers.com and on the Huskers app. 

The Huskers (6-0) are coming off an 86-85 win over previously unbeaten Kansas State in title game of the Hall of Fame Classic last Friday. Sam Hoiberg's free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining provided the margin in a game which saw 12 lead changes in the second half. Hoiberg went 6-of-6 from the field and added four assists and three steals in the win as the Huskers shot 54 percent from the floor. Pryce Sandfort (21) and Rienk Mast (20) both scored over 20 points in the win while Braden Frager added 16 points off the bench.  

The Huskers' strength has been a balanced offense which features four double-figure scorers and two others who average at least 8.2 points per game.  During the two games in KC, four different Huskers - Sandfort, Mast, Frager and Jamarques Lawrence - all posted 20-point efforts. Nebraska's 87.7 ppg is the program's highest scoring average after its first six games in 30 years.

Nebraska will take on a Winthrop team that is 3-3 on the season following an 80-62 win at Jackson State on Sunday.  The Eagles, who average 84.2 points per game, nearly knocked off No. 21 Arkansas last Tuesday before falling 84-83. Winthrop had a five-point lead with 2:00 left before the Razorbacks scored the final six points, including a go-ahead basket by Nick Pringle with 11 seconds left. Last season, Winthrop won 23 games before losing to High Point in the Big South Tournament title game.

Numbers to Know
87.7 - Nebraska's 87.7 ppg is the program's highest scoring average thru six games since the 1995-96 season when Nebraska averaged 91.3 ppg in its first six contests. That team averaged 80.2 ppg for the season.

11.5 - Nebraska averages 11.5 3-pointers per game to lead the Big Ten and rank 20th nationally as of Nov. 24. Currently, five Big Ten teams are averaging more than 10.0 3-pointers per game.

80+ - Nebraska is 43-10 (.811) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 34-7 mark over the last three-plus seasons. Of those seven losses since the start of 2022-23, four were in overtime.

.957 - Nebraska is 22-1 at home in non-conference play over the last three-plus seasons and is 35-9 (.795) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg's tenure at Nebraska.

.935 - Over the last three-plus seasons, NU is 43-3 when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 44-5 when holding opponents to under 70 points. Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons.

3- For just the third time in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present), Nebraska returns multiple double-figure scorers with Rienk Mast (12.3 ppg in 2023-24) and Connor Essegian (10.7 ppg). In both previous instances (2018-19 and 2024-25), Nebraska has advanced to postseason play. 

Worth Noting
• Nebraska has now won its last 17 non-conference games dating back to Nov. 22, 2024, which is the nation's longest non-con win streak. The Huskers have also won 11 straight home games against non-conference foes dating back to the 2023-24 season. 

• Nebraska enters the week riding a 10-game win streak dating back to last season's College Basketball Crown. It is the longest active streak in the nation and is tied for the ninth-longest streak in school history. With a win on Tuesday, it would mark only the fourth time since WW2 that NU won at least 11 or more consecutive games (1993-94, 1990-01 and 2010-11).  Before the current win streak, NU's longest streak under Fred Hoiberg was a seven-game streak to start the 2023-24 season.  Nebraska is averaging 84.9 ppg on 49 percent shooting during its 10-game win streak and has scored at least 1.00 points per possession in all 10 contests.

Longest Win Streaks in School History

No.	Season	Win Streak	Date Started	Date Ended
1.	1990-91	14 games	11-28-90	1-22-91
	1911-12/12-13	14 games	1-27-12	1-25-13
3.	1919-20/20-21	13 games	2-6-20	1-3-21
	1897-98/1900-01	13 games	2-22-1898	1901**
5.	1912-13	12 games	1-31-13	3-12-13
6.	2010-11	11 games	11-20-10	1-12-11
	1993-94	11 games	12-3-93	1-19-94
	1905-06/06-07	11 games	2-25-06	2-15-07
9.	2024-25/25-26	10 games	3-31-25	present
	1994-95	10 games	11-27-94	1-4-95
	1977-78	10 games	12-2-77	12-29-77

• Nebraska has been one of the nation's top 3-point shooting teams, as the Huskers lead the Big Ten and rank 20th nationally with 11.5 3-pointers made per game.  Nebraska's 11.5 3-pointers per game is five more per game more than last season after six games and is the best early-season start for a Fred Hoiberg team at Nebraska.  

• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers four times in six 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 made double-digit 3-pointers seven times in 35 contests.

• After going 24 seasons without an in-season tournament championship, Nebraska has won two since last Christmas, taking home the Diamond Head Invitational last December and the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. NU's Hall of Fame Classic title marked the first time a Big Ten team won the event since 2014.

• Nebraska enters Tuesday's game with Winthrop ranked sixth in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally with 19.8 assists per game. It is an increase of 5.6 assists per game from last season. NU has averaged 20 assists only two times in school history (1990-91 and 1984-85). 

• NU's team 1.80-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 34th nationally entering this week's action and is on track to be NU's best total in Fred Hoiberg's seven seasons. NU's best assist-to-turnover ratio under Hoiberg was 1.38-to-1 in 2023-24. The school record in that category is 1.81-to-1 in 1984-85. Against Oklahoma on Nov. 15, Nebraska had 20 assists and just five turnovers, its lowest total since having a school-record two turnovers against Duquesne in 2023.  

• Rienk Mast is one of 23 players nationally - and 10 from power conference teams - averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game entering this week's action. 

• Mast, who is averaging 21.0 ppg on 54 percent shooting over NU's last three games, is just seven points shy of 1,500 for his career.  When he reaches 1,500 career points, he will join Gonzaga's Graham Ike (2,044 points, 941 rebounds) as the only active Division I players with 1,500 points and 900 rebounds. 

• Pryce Sandfort is averaging 19.2 ppg on 51 percent shooting, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game over the past five contests. He also has a 7.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span. Sandfort has scored 20+ points three times after eclipsing that mark once in his two seasons at Iowa. 

• Braden Frager was named MVP of the Hall of Fame Classic after averaging 18.0 points on 72 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds per game. His 20-point effort in the win over New Mexico was his second 20-point game of the season, and he joins Connor Essegian has the only Huskers under Hoiberg with multiple 20-point games off the bench in a season. Frager is of only two power conference players - joining Arkansas' Maleek Thomas - to have multiple 20-point efforts off the bench this season.

• Nebraska has had nine double-digit scoring runs over the first five contests, including three each against West Georgia and FIU.

• Eight Huskers have posted double-figure efforts this season, while five players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-3; Rienk Mast-2; Braden Frager-2; Jamarques Lawrence-1).

• Nebraska is 40-14 (.740) 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 (7.4 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). According to stathead, Hoiberg is the only power conference player - and just one of seven players nationally averaging at least 5+ rebounds, 4+ assists and 2+ steals per game entering this week's action.

• Nebraska's signing class of Colin Rice and Jacob Lanier is ranked by ESPN as the No. 24 signing class nationally during the early signing period.

Kansas State Recap 
Sam Hoiberg’s free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining lifted Nebraska to an 86-85 win over Kansas State in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Classic Friday night. 

Hoiberg was fouled after he grabbed the offensive rebound on Pryce Sandfort’s jumper on NU’s final possession. The senior, who finished with 13 points, hit the first one and intentionally missed the second as Kansas State got the rebound and called timeout with 0.1 seconds remaining. 

The officiating crew went to the monitor and reset the clock to 0.9 seconds, giving Kansas State one last chance for the win. Pryce Sandfort sealed the win as he knocked away the inbounds pass to preserve the victory. 

Sandfort finished with a game-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead four Huskers in double figures.  Rienk Mast added 20 points, including eight points in the final eight minutes, while Braden Frager came off the bench and had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting as Nebraska shot 54 percent from the field. 

Frager, who averaged 18.0 points on 72 percent shooting in two games off the bench was named tournament MVP while Mast, who averaged 18.5 points on 52 percent shooting, joined Frager on the all-tournament team. 
PJ Haggerty had a game-high 27 points for Kansas State (5-1) while Abdi Bashir Jr. had 26 points, including seven 3-pointers, in a game which featured 12 lead changes in the second half. 

Nebraska trailed 83-81 with 2:09 left after Haggerty’s 3-point play but Hoiberg tied the game with a driving basket with 1:34 left and NU got a stop on the defense end. Mast then gave NU an 85-83 lead with a layup with 34.6 seconds remaining before Haggerty’s basket with 26 seconds left in regulation set up the final sequence.

Notes from the Kansas State Win
• Nebraska has now won 10 straight dating back to last year and 17 straight non-conference games dating back to last season. Both streaks lead the nation.

• Nebraska had multiple 20-point scorers for the third straight game - Pryce Sandfort (21) and Rienk Mast (20).

• With the win, NU has won its last four games against Big 12 teams dating back to the win at K-State in 2023.

• Rienk Mast (18.5 ppg on 52 percent shooting and 4.0 rpg) and Braden Frager (18.0 ppg on 72 percent shooting were named to the all-tournament team with Frager earning MVP honors.