Huskers Look to Match Best Start in School History on Wednesday vs. Wisconsin

The Nebraska men's basketball team looks to match a pair of long-standing program records Wednesday evening, as the Huskers host Wisconsin at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.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 No. 23/22 Huskers (9-0) are coming off a 71-50 victory over Creighton on Sunday. Rienk Mast's 20 points led three Huskers in double figures, as NU used a 13-0 first-half run to take control and never trailed in posting its second straight win over the Bluejays. Nebraska dominated the game on the defensive held, holding Creighton 31 percent shooting and its lowest point total since Jan. 17, 2024.

Mast comes into Big Ten play averaging 18.1 points per game on 55 percent shooting, including 45 percent from 3-point range, along with 6.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. The 6-foot-10 super senior is averaging 21.5 ppg dating back to Nov. 15, including four 20-point efforts.
 
The Huskers, who open Big Ten Conference play at home for the first time since 2018, will look to match their best start in school history, as NU opened the 1977-78 season with 10 straight wins. In addition, NU can also tie the school mark for the longest win streak in school history with a win on Wednesday. The mark is held by the 1990-91 Huskers who won a school-record 14 games on their way to a school-record 26-win season. 

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

The Huskers will face its toughest test of the season on Wednesday, as Wisconsin comes to town with a 7-2 record following a 96-76 win over Marquette on Saturday in its in-state rivalry. Big Ten Player of the Week John Blackwell led five Badgers in double figures with 30 points, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range, while Nolan Winter (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Aleksas Bieliauskas (11 points, 10 rebounds) both posted double doubles in the win.

Numbers to Know
50 - Nebraska held Creighton to a season-low 50 points on Sunday, the lowest NU has held the Bluejays in the series since 2004. CU was held to 0.79 points per possession, NU's best defensive performance since Nov. 11.

2014 - Before this week, the last time that both Husker basketball programs were ranked in the top 25 was Nov. 17, 2014.  

.962 - Nebraska is 25-1 at home in non-conference play over the last three-plus seasons and is 38-9 (.809) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg's tenure at Nebraska.

.938 - Over the last three-plus seasons, NU is 45-3 when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 46-5 when holding opponents to under 70 points. Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons.

401 - Nebraska's 2025-26 roster entered the season with 401 career starts at the Division I level. Rienk Mast has 111 starts in his career while Kendall Blue has started 89 times during his career at St. Thomas. 

Huskers Move into National Polls For the First Time Since 2018
For the first time since 2018, the Nebraska men’s basketball team is in the Associated Press poll, as the unbeaten Huskers are ranked No. 23 in Monday’s poll. Nebraska also is ranked No. 22 in the Coaches poll. Nebraska’s No. 23 ranking in the AP is the program’s highest ranking since Nov. 17, 2014, when the Huskers were ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll. The Huskers are 38-22 (.633) all-time when ranked in the AP poll.

Worth Noting
• Nebraska enters the week riding a 13-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 third-longest streak in school history. With a win on Wednesday, it would tie NU's longest win steak which was set in the 1990-91 season. 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 82.3 ppg on 48 percent shooting during its 13-game win streak and has scored at least 1.00 points per possession in all 13 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.	2024-25/25-26	13 games	3-31-25	present
	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
7.	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

• Wednesday's Big Ten home opener is the first time in Fred Hoiberg's seven seasons at Nebraska that the Huskers have opened conference play at home. The last time NU won its Big Ten opener was in 2018-19 when NU defeated Illinois 75-60. That is the only other time in the last 10 seasons that NU has opened Big Ten play at home. 

• Wednesday's game features two of the top 3-point teams in the Big Ten. Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game at 11.3, while the Huskers are second with 11.1 3-pointers per game. Both programs rank in the top 20 nationally in that area. 

• The Husker men and women enter the week with 9-0 records, marking the first time that both programs have won their first eight games. As of Dec. 8, only three schools - Iowa State, Nebraska and Vanderbilt - have both their men's and women's teams unbeaten.

• Following Sunday's win, Nebraska has now won a school-record 20 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 14 straight home games against non-conference foes dating back to the 2023-24 season. The Huskers' next non-conference game is Dec. 21 against North Dakota.

• Nebraska comes into the Wisconsin game averaging 83.2 ppg in the first nine contests. It is NU's highest scoring average through nine games in the Big Ten era (2011-12 to present). Last year's team averaged 80.0 ppg over its first nine games, and that is the only other Husker team to average 80+ ppg in the Big Ten era in its first nine games. 

• Nebraska has been one of the nation's top 3-point shooting teams, as the Huskers are second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally with 11.1 3-pointers made per game as of Dec. 3. Nebraska's 11.1 3-pointers per game is 4.2 more per game more than last season after nine games is the best early-season start for a Fred Hoiberg team at Nebraska.  

• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers six times in nine 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 enters the week ranked No. 24 in the NET, as one of 10 Big Ten teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET. In all, 13 of the 18 conference teams are in the top 75 entering this week's action. 

• 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 last month. NU's Hall of Fame Classic title marked the first time a Big Ten team won the event since 2014.

• Nebraska enters Wednesday's game with Wisconsin ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 30th nationally with 18.6 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.

• NU's team 1.82-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 17th nationally entering as of Dec. 8. It 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. Nebraska has two games with at least 20 assists and five turnovers or less (Winthrop, vs. Oklahoma). 

• Eight Huskers have posted double-figure efforts this season, while five players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-4; 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 13-game win streak, NU now has four comebacks from 10+ points (Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma and USC Upstate).

• Rienk Mast is one of 23 players nationally - and nine from power conference teams - averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game entering as of Dec. 8. Mast comes into the Wisconsin game averaging a career-high 18.1 points per game on 55 percent shooting, including 45 percent from 3-point range. 

• Mast (1,559 points, 953 rebounds) is one of two active Division I players with at least 1,500 points and 900 rebounds as of Dec. 8, joining Gonzaga's Graham Ike (2,107 points, 968 rebounds). Mast also ranks in the top 15 among active NCAA players in points, rebounds and games played. 

• Pryce Sandfort is averaging 17.4 ppg, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game over the past eight contests dating back to Nov. 8. He also has an 6.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span. Sandfort has scored 20+ points four times in that stretch after posting one 20-point game in his two seasons at Iowa. 

• Braden Frager has emerged as one of the top freshmen in the Big Ten as he comes into Wednesday's Big Ten opener averaging 11.6 points per game. He is seventh among Big Ten freshmen in scoring despite starting just one of NU's first nine contests. He was named MVP of the Hall of Fame Classic and Big Ten Freshman of the Week last month after averaging 18.0 points on 72 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds per game in wins over K-State and New Mexico. In the Big Ten era, only one Husker freshman has averaged double figures - Bryce McGowens in 2021-22 (16.8 ppg).

• Nebraska is 43-14 (.754) 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 (7.8 ppg), rebounding (4.9 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). 

• NU has had 11 double-digit scoring runs this season, including a 17-0 run against USC Upstate and a 13-0 run vs. Creighton on Sunday.

• Nebraska has held six of its nine opponents to under 40 percent shooting, as Creighton shot just 30.8 percent on Sunday. 

Creighton Recap
Nebraska used a blistering start and a strong defensive effort to remain unbeaten with a 71-50 win over Creighton in front of a sellout crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 7.

Nebraska took control from the start, using an early 13-0 run to build a double-figure lead in the first 7:32 of the contest. NU remained in control the rest of the night to post its third win in the last four years over Creighton and posted consecutive wins in the series for the first time since the mid-1990s. 

Rienk Mast led three Huskers in double figures with 20 points while Sam Hoiberg added 15 points and five assists and Pryce Sandfort added 13 points and seven boards as Nebraska won its 13th straight game dating back to last season. 

The early start, which included five early points from Jamarques Lawrence, allowed NU to build a 15-2 lead to ignite the sellout crowd. Creighton pulled to within 20-14 with just over five minutes left in the half, but consecutive 3-pointers from Lawrence and Mast and a Hoiberg basket pushed the lead back to 28-14, and the Huskers took a 33-19 lead into the break. 

Nebraska held Creighton to 31 percent shooting, including just 6-of-32 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, and enjoyed a 39-35 advantage on the glass as Berke Buyuktuncel grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to pace the Big Red.

The Huskers got off to a quick start in the second half, outscoring Creighton 12-2 3 in the first 4:27 to stretch the margin to 23 after eight straight points, including five from Hoiberg. From there, NU kept the Bluejays at bay and led by at least 17 points the rest of the way. 

Notes from the Creighton Win
• Nebraska improves to 8-0 for just the third time in school history and first since a 10-0 start in 1977-78.

• Nebraska improves to 9-0, marking just the third time in school history Nebraska has started 9-0 (1977-78 and 1915-16).  Nebraska’s school record for consecutive wins to start a season is 10 in 1977-78.

•  Nebraska secured their first win in Lincoln in the series against Creighton since a 94-75 win on Dec. 8, 2018, and now has won three of the past four meetings in the series, all by double figures. 

• Nebraska won back-to-back games against Creighton for the first time since winning seven straight games between 1990 and 1997. 

• The 21-point margin was the Huskers’ largest in the series since an 88-67 win on Dec. 6, 1995. 

• Rienk Mast posted his fourth 20-point game of the season (!6th of his career) with a game-high 20 points and five rebounds.

• Berke Buyuktuncel grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, topping his previous best of nine done seven other times in his career. His 13 rebounds were a season high by any Husker in 2025-26.

• Creighton was held to season low 50 points (previous low was 60 vs. Iowa State) and 16 field goals (previous low was 18 vs. Gonzaga). Creighton was also held to a season-low 19 first-half points (25 vs. Gonzaga).