After many years of mediocrity, Nebraska seems to have finally returned to relevance after a 18-0 start, a perfect record midway through the season. Nebraska has been one of the hottest teams in the country, riding a nation-best winning streak of 22 games, which dates back to the College Basketball Crown last year, where they won the tournament.
Nebraska has had some dramatic finishes to stay perfect, including one of the most recent being a 16-point comeback over the Indiana Hoosiers on the road, completing the turn around with an 83-77 finish. With Michigan’s loss to Wisconsin, Nebraska moved into 1st in the Big Ten standings and 7th in the AP poll, a program record.
Nebraska basketball is on pace to set many other program records, as they only need six more wins to tie and seven more wins to best a program record of 23 wins in a season. A lot of people are scratching their heads of just how Nebraska has transitioned from a Big Ten bottom feeder with no NCAA tournament wins to a National Title contender and one of the best teams in the country.
Fred Hoiberg was named the Nebraska head basketball coach on March 30, 2019. Hoiberg came with plenty of experience of success, as his Iowa State teams from 2010-2015 won Big 12 titles and had success that earned him a job with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
With the Bulls, Hoiberg went 115-155 and led the Bulls to one playoff appearance where they lost in the first round. Hoiberg was fired after a 5-19 start with the Bulls in 2018, leading to the Cornhuskers to hire him after firing Tim Miles in an attempt to breathe life into a program that had been dead for decades.
Known as an offensive minded coach, Fred Hoiberg had a reputation to uphold from his dominant offenses at Iowa State. His fast-paced offense baffled teams that were too slow to recover, as they spaced out the floor and made tons of three pointers. When he was hired by Chicago, they expected a dominant offense with the ability to make a lot of threes and score a lot of points. Instead, the offense Hoiberg had run never really stuck with the Bulls, so it didn’t work nearly as well as it did at the college level.
In his return to college basketball, the first few seasons for the Huskers under Hoiberg were tough, totaling seven wins in each of his first two seasons. After he finally got the offense to improve, Hoiberg’s teams did significantly better.
In 2023, Nebraska made the NCAA tournament and although they didn’t win a game, the upwards trend of the team had become promising to fans.
Fast forward to the 2025-2026 season, Nebraska looks primed for its first postseason appearance since that season. One thing that has worked well for them this season that has been a struggle for Fred Hoiberg in the past is defense. Instead of being a team that has the signature offensive outburst that Fred Hoiberg’s teams usually do, this Husker defense holds opponents to 65.8 points per game, which is 16th in the country.
With Nebraska being the underdog so far this season, it takes some polarizing figures to help lead and inspire the team to succeed. For example, the amazing story of Nebraska’s defensive assistant coach, Nate Loenser. Loenser worked with Fred Hoiberg at both Iowa State and the Chicago Bulls. He joined Nebraska in April of 2021 and made an immediate impact, as their win total started improving with his help on the bench and with the players. Loenser was born with a defect, having only one hand, but has used his story of overcoming setbacks to inspire others.
Loenser has been vital to the Cornhuskers turnaround on defense, as his game plans and scouting ability is one of the best at the college level. He scouts teams and their offensive schemes, and he puts together a defensive scheme to counter this, giving the players special tips to guard certain players. Nate Loenser’s story is one of the best in college basketball, as he really cares about his players, who have gone on record about how passionate he is about his job.
Nebraska’s offense has also been consistent, which has helped them fuel wins. Similar to some of Hoiberg’s old teams, Nebraska is a very aggressive three-point team, shooting 50% of shots from beyond the arc. When they make these shots, they look almost unbeatable, and that has happened in a few games this season, like their offensive outburst against Oklahoma, where they shot 56% from three, which carried them to victory in a statement win over Oklahoma early in the season.
Another example is one of Nebraska’s most recent games against Oregon, where breakout star Pryce Sandfort and freshman phenom Braden Frager hit seven threes each, leading Nebraska to a 90-55 victory over the Ducks. Sandfort, a main contributor to the Cornhuskers’ success, has emerged as the main three-point threat, averaging 16.4 points per game. The transfer from rival Iowa was unheralded in Iowa City, as he averaged 8.8 points on not nearly as many minutes as he gets at Nebraska.
Sandfort has posted these big numbers in big games on very efficient shooting and has helped Nebraska become one of the most disciplined teams in Division 1, as they are the number 11 team in the country in total turnovers. This has been another major key to their success, as taking care of the ball and limiting mistakes makes winning games much easier.
Another impact player for the Huskers has been Reink Mast, the veteran center who is a seven-year senior, who has given Nebraska versatility, with his ability to score in the paint and from beyond the arc playing into Nebraska’s playing style. Nebraska missed this dream fit last season, as Mast was injured early, needing left knee surgery. Mast hasn’t missed a beat, as he has fit right back into Nebraska’s offense, his ability to stretch out the defense allowing for other players to have more open shots.
The coach’s son is a stereotype in sports, where a player is given special treatment and a starting job because the coach is his dad. Sam Hoiberg does not fit this stereotype. Beloved by Husker fans and hated by opposing teams, Hoiberg is a scrappy and hard-working player that is easy to like.
Hoiberg is not a big scorer like Sandford or Mast, but he has his own impact on the team. As the starting point guard, Hoiberg takes care of the ball and dishes out assists, some of the most important jobs on the floor. He also plays good defense, you always see him hustling to steal the ball and is a coach’s dream. He is a big reason why Nebraska is the number 25 team in the country with 18.2assists per game.
Nebraska has continued to be with a dominant 77-58 win over Northwestern and the nation’s leading scorer, Nick Martinelli. This win moved Nebraska to 18-0, and with Purdue losing to UCLA, the Huskers now stand alone atop the Big Ten standings.
All these pieces and many more combined are what has made Nebraska one of the best teams in the country this season. They make the game of basketball seem very simple, taking care of the ball, knocking down threes, and playing some of the best defense in the nation.
As long as the Cornhuskers stay consistent, they have a really good chance of winning the program’s first ever NCAA tournament game, the Big Ten, and even the National Championship game.
