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Forget football, Nebraska basketball is a thing now — and reaching new heights
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- Forget football, Nebraska basketball is a thing now — and reaching new heights
This story was originally published Jan. 2, 2026.
Winning — not appearing — in the men's basketball NCAA tournament is something 244 teams have done since it began in 1939.
While it's stuff made of dreams for the mid-majors where opportunities are seldom, the Power conference schools all know the feeling of surviving and advancing at some point in the past 85 years.
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Except Nebraska .
The Cornhuskers have the lone distinction of being the only Power conference school to never win a tournament game. Eight appearances, eight losses.
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But the thing about streaks is they're meant to be broken.
Nebraska is off to its best start in program history, 20-0 at the end of 2025, one of three teams without a loss. The No. 5 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll is its highest ever.
It's brought hype to a place not known for its basketball and optimism for what is possible in March. The Cornhuskers aren't just trying to snap the skid, they look like they might blitz right through it in what is becoming a dream season in Lincoln.
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"Hopefully we can keep this thing going," coach Fred Hoiberg told USA TODAY Sports.
Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort (21) reacts after a three-point basket against the Florida International during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Building Nebraska
Not only is Nebraska undefeated, but it owns the largest win streak in the country at 24 games. It dates back to last season's postseason, and coincidentally, started the hot start of 2025-26.
After missing the NCAA field, the Cornhuskers were selected to the newly formed College Basketball Crown tournament after other Big Ten teams declined invitations. Nebraska ended up winning the four games to be the inaugural champion and collect a pretty $300,000 name, image and likeness prize pool.
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It wasn't that coveted NCAA tournament win, but Hoiberg said "it was a really important tournament for us" in generating momentum. While Nebraska was playing the tournament, it drew them interest and got four commitments, including Pryce Sandfort.
Just the boost Nebraska needed when it was set to get a major return: Rienk Mast .
Mast dealt with left knee pain throughout the 2023-24 season and afterward discovered he had osteochondritis dissecans , a condition where the bone underneath the cartilage of a joint breaks loose from the rest of the bone. It required major surgery, and he missed all of 2024-25.
Mast had to relearn how to walk. There wasn't just concern he wouldn't be able to return at a high level; his career could be cut short.
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Thankfully, Mast's body recovered exceptionally, and Hoiberg knew he had someone to build around.
"We knew getting a healthy Reink Mast back was as important as anything that we did in the offseason. The biggest thing we tried to do is get players that fit with Reink," he said.
Nebraska got transfers in Sandfort from Iowa, Jamarques Lawrence from Rhode Island and now has Central Michigan transfer Ugnius Jarusevicius healthy.
Why Nebraska has been so good
Hoiberg got the feeling early in the preseason workouts. A big goal was to increase the shooting, and the guys were just knocking it down. If that could happen during the season, he thought this team could really space the floor and attack all over.
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It came into existence.
The Cornhuskers are one of the most sound teams offensively, scoring from just about anywhere. Averaging 80.9 points per game, they are in the top 10 in the country in 2-point field goal percentage and love shooting 3-pointers, making 10.9 per game. The ball not only moves plenty, it's in control. Nebraska has the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.07.
Don't forget about the defense either, giving up 65 points per game and opponents making just 39.1% of their shots, both among the top-20 in the country.
Sandfort leads the team averaging 17.2 points per game, with Mast posting 14.6, but it's a group that can have anyone breakout. They won't wow you, but they'll just slowly take the life out of teams.
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"I don't think we're going to overwhelm you with our athleticism or speed," Hoiberg said. "But you just got a group of guys that fit, that have accepted their roles, and in this profession that's as big as anything."
Silencing doubters
There were some doubts as Nebraska's run took off, mostly because it wasn't a challenging start. The first eight games didn't come against any Quad 1 opponents, the best wins against Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas State. People wanted to see it get really tested.
It came at the start of December; three games in seven days against Creighton and Wisconsin at home and a road trip to Illinois, a true barometer to measure if Nebraska was legit.
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The Cornhuskers dominated Creighton and Wisconsin in double-digit wins, and then capped it off with a tough road win at Illinois for their first Quad 1 victory. There was no denying Nebraska after that.
"There is obviously a lot of doubters like 'hey, might be a fluke, or they just haven't played anybody,'" Mast said. "That was a big week for us to prove that it's not a fluke and that we actually are a good team."
Nebraska is No. 5 in the NET rankings with a 12-0 mark in Quad 1 and 2 games, tied for second-most wins in the combined categories.
What's possible for Nebraska's historic season
Things are certainly different in Lincoln. Football has always been king, but it's not just Memorial Stadium rocking with energy. So is Pinnacle Bank Arena.
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"It's been awesome seeing the basketball side get more attention," said Sandfort, who grew up a Nebraska football fan.
Nebraska has the resume and stature of a top NCAA seed. Its highest previously was a No. 3 seed in 1991.
You can get excited about what's happened and possible, it's nearly impossible to do so. Yet you have to remember it's a long way to go until Selection Sunday. Hoiberg has preached not looking too far ahead and getting caught in the moment, praising them for remaining focused. Mast admitted the tournament hangs in the back of your mind, but he knows "we're not going to go undefeated," so you have to stay present.
It's a tough balance. This is building toward the greatest season in school history, but January just began. A gauntlet is awaiting in the Big Ten, including Tuesday night's showdown against top-5 opponent Michigan.
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"We're on a run that hasn't been done in program history ever," he said. "You keep telling yourself, 'OK, it's just one game at a time.' But you also look at the grand scheme of things, and what we're doing right now is pretty cool and pretty special. You want to also be proud of what you're doing, but at the same time, you want to find the focus to be able to keep it up."
Besides, Nebraska still has plenty to prove. Sandfort said this team still has a chip on its shoulder as doubters still remain. It makes sense, have you ever considered Nebraska in the Final Four picture?
It might be time to. Times are changing, and that NCAA tournament win drought could soon be over for Nebraska.
Plenty more firsts could be waiting too.
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"It's been my dream as a kid to go to the Final Four," Sandfort said. "It's one game at a time, and it's a long journey. But I think that we got a real opportunity to do something really special here."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska basketball is 20-0, looks like a legit Big Ten, NCAA contender
