No. 12 Huskers Look for 13th Big Ten Win vs. Maryland

No. 12 Huskers Look for 13th Big Ten Win vs. Maryland

The No. 12/10 (AP/Coaches) Nebraska men's basketball team wraps up a two-game homestand on Wednesday, as the Huskers take on Maryland.  Tipoff from a sold out Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for 6 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 (23-4, 12-4 B1G) come off an 87-64 win over Penn State last Saturday. Nebraska shot 52 percent from the field and put three players in double figures, led by a record-setting day from Pryce Sandfort. The junior forward scored a career-high 33 points and matched a school record with eight 3-pointers, tying a mark set by Cary Cochran in 2002. Braden Frager added 15 points while Sam Hoiberg collected his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists.

With his eight 3-pointers against Penn State, Sandfort now has 67 3-pointers in conference play, which now ranks second in Big Ten history. Sandfort is averaging 19.8 points per game in Big Ten play while shooting 49 percent from the field, including 43 percent from 3-poinr range.

Single-Season 3-Pointers in Big Ten Games

No.	Player, School	3-Pt	Year
1.	Shawn Respert, MSU	80	1994-95
2.	Pryce Sandfort, NEB	67	2025-26
3.	Bryn Forbes, MSU	66	2015-16
4.	Chris Kingsbury, Iowa	65	1994-95

With 12 Big Ten wins, the Huskers can match a school record for the most conference wins in school history on Wednesday night. The school mark is 13 set by the 2017-18 Huskers, while the 2025-26 Huskers are one of five teams in school history to have at least 12 conference wins.

Maryland (11-16, 4-12 B1G) comes off a 63-60 win over Washington on Saturday. Andre Milles led three Terrapins in double figures with 21 points while Solomon Washington added 11 points and 14 boards as they out-rebounded Washington, 36-23. 

Numbers to Know

.380 -Nebraska has held its last four opponents to a combined 38.0 percent shooting. On the season, NU ranks 16th nationally at 39.7 opponent percent shooting. 

9.6 - Nebraska ranks 22nd nationally with 9.6 turnovers per game. NU is one of seven Big Ten teams in the top 25 nationally in fewest turnovers per game as of Feb. 23.

54.0 - Nebraska's top four scorers (Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence) are combining for 54.0 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 51-10 (.836) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 42-7 mark over the last three-plus seasons. Of those seven losses since the start of the 2022-23 season, four came in overtime.

12 - Pryce Sandfort has 12 20-point games on the season, which ties for the fourth-most by a Husker in the Big Ten era. 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).

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, Hoiberg Named to Naismith Lists
Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort and Head Coach Fred Hoiberg were named to a pair of watch lists last week. 

Sandfort was named to the 2026 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Late-Season Team on Feb. 19. One of 30 players on the list, Sandfort leads the Huskers in scoring at 17.9 ppg while shooting 48 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. He comes of a career-high 33-point effort with nine boards in the win over Penn State.

Hoiberg is one of 15 coaches on the Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Watch List Presented by AXIA Time. He has guided Nebraska to one of its most successful seasons in school history in 2025-26 after the team was picked 14th in the Big Ten by the media at the start of the season.  The Huskers are 23-4 on the season and ranked 12th entering Wednesday's matchup with Maryland. The 23 wins are third on NU's single-season list while the Huskers earned their highest ranking school history, climbing to fifth in the Jan. 26 AP poll.  Earlier this season, Nebraska set a school record with 24 straight wins and a 20-0 start, including wins at nationally ranked Illinois and against Michigan State.

Huskers is 12th in AP Poll
Nebraska fell out of the top 10 in the AP Poll for the first time since January, as the Huskers checked in at No. 12 on Monday. NU is also ranked 10th in the coaches poll on Monday.

• The No. 12 ranking ended a school-record streak of seven weeks in the top 10 dating back to Jan. 5.

• The Huskers have been ranked for 11 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 52-26 (.667) all-time when ranked in the AP poll following Saturday's win over Penn State.

• 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. 

Worth Noting

• Nebraska's 23-4 record marks the first time that Nebraska has won 23 of its first 27 games in a season.

• Nebraska's 23 wins marks just the third time in program history that Nebraska has won 23 games in a season (1990-91 and 2023-24). With a win on Wednesday against Maryland, the 2025-26 Huskers will move into sole possession of second on NU's single-season wins list.

• The Huskers now have three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. In addition, Nebraska has already won 23 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 44 wins over the past two seasons, the second-highest consecutive year total in school history. NU won 45 games spanning the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons and also won 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 12-4 Big Ten record is just the fifth time in school history that the Huskers have won 12 or more conference games. With a win on Wednesday, NU would tie the single-season school mark for conference wins with 13 originally set in 2017-18.

• Nebraska is 14-2 at home this season and is 53-13 (.803) at Pinnacle Bank Arena over the past four seasons. It will be the eighth straight sellout at PBA this season, as the March 8 finale against Iowa is also sold out.

• 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. 23. The Huskers are one of five Big Ten teams in the top 15 of the NET (No. 1 Michigan, No. 4 Illinois, No. 6 Purdue, No. 11 Nebraska and No. 12 Michigan State).

• As of Feb. 23, Nebraska's is 11-4 in the first two quads (6-4 in Q1, 5-0 in Q2) with all four losses currently to teams in the top 30 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 67-29 (.697) while the 67 wins is fifth among Big Ten teams in that span (Purdue-80; Illinois-73; Michigan State-72; Wisconsin-68; Nebraska-67) as of Feb. 23.

Noting the Husker Offense
•  Nebraska is averaging 78.8 ppg, which is the Huskers' highest scoring average after 27 games since the 1995-96 season (81.8 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.

• The Huskers are third in the Big Ten and 14th nationally with 10.9 3-pointers made per game as of Feb. 23. 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 294 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 18 times this season, including four games with at least 15 (17 vs. Oregon and FIU; 15 vs. 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 fifth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.90-to-1) as of Feb. 23. It is on track to shatter the school mark of 1.81 set in 1984-85. The Big Ten has three of the top five teams nationally in that category (Purdue-1st; Northwestern-2nd; Nebraska-5th).

• Nebraska enters the Maryland game ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 14th nationally with 18.2 assists per game. It is an increase of 4.3 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 sixth in the Big Ten and 22nd nationally in turnovers per game at 9.6 per contest. The 9.6 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 16th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.397).

• The Huskers are second in the Big Ten and 15th 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 16 opponents to under 1.00 points per possession and have a 15-1 mark in those games.  Over the last four seasons, NU is 56-4 (.933) when holding foes to under 1.00 PPP and 58-6 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 17th nationally in turnover margin at +3.6 per game.  

• Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons and are fifth nationally as of Feb. 23. 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. 23, there have been 25 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 27 double-digit scoring runs this season, which is tied for 12th nationally according to EvanMiya.com as of Feb. 23.

• Nine Huskers have posted double-figure efforts this season, while four players have had at least one 20-point performance (Pryce Sandfort-12; 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).

Penn State Recap
Behind a record-setting performance from Pryce Sandfort, No. 9 Nebraska dispatched Penn State, 87-63, at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Feb. 21.

Sandfort set a career high with 33 points and tied the school record with eight 3-pointers, as Nebraska improved to 23-4 on the season and 12-4 in Big Ten play,  Sandfort tied Cary Cochran’s single-game mark which had stood since 2002. On the day, the junior forward went 11-of-17 from the field and also added nine rebounds as the Huskers raced out to an 18-point halftime lead and were in control most of the afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 15,128.

Braden Frager added 15 points and six rebounds while Sam Hoiberg posted his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists, as Nebraska shot 52 percent from the field, including 14-of-35 from 3-point range.

Sandfort, who had 20 first-half points, and Frager got Nebraska going in the first half. Trailing 7-4, the duo combined for all 14 points in a 14-2 run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Frager that staked the Huskers a 20-9 lead.

Penn State cut the Husker lead to 24-15 before a Leo Curtis basket started a 9-0 spurt that included five straight points from Sandfort and a Jamarques Lawrence lay-up to give NU a 33-18 lead. Sandfort, who hit his first five 3-pointers of the game, helped NU build a 21-point lead before going into the locker room with a 38-20 cushion.

The Nittany Lions (11-17, 2-15) made an early second-half run scoring the first five points out of the locker room to cut the lead to 38-25 on an Ivan Juric basket with 18:14 remaining before Lawrence took things into his own hands. The senior had seven points in a 9-0 Husker run that eventually became a 17-3 surge that pushed the margin to 55-27 with 14:05 left.

Notes from the Penn State Game
• Nebraska won its 23rd game of the season, as the 23 victories tie the 2023-24 squad for the second-most victories in a season in school history.

• Nebraska’s 12 Big Ten wins ties for the second-highest number of conference wins in school history. NU also on 12 games in 2023-24 (Big Ten), 1965-66 (Big Eight) and 1915-16 (Missouri Valley). NU can it the school record for most conference wins on Wednesday when the Huskers host Maryland.

• Pryce Sandfort finished with a career-high 33 points, topping his previous career high of 32 points at Illinois on Dec. 13. It is the most points by a Husker since Brice Williams had a school-record 43 points at Ohio State last season. The 32 points bettered his previous high of 32 set at Illinois on Dec. 13.

• Sandfort tied Nebraska’s single-game record with eight 3-pointers, going 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. He tied Cary Cochran, who had eight 3-pointers against Baylor on Feb. 27, 2002.

• Sam Hoiberg posted his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 assists. His 10 assists were a career high, topping his previous career high of seven, accomplished twice.  

• NU shot 52 percent from the field marking the 10th time this season it has shot 50 percent or better. The Huskers shot 50 percent for the first time in eight games.