Huskers Look to Continue Hot Start vs. USC Upstate
The Nebraska men’s basketball team continues its homestand Saturday afternoon, as the Huskers host USC Upstate. Tipoff is set for 1 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 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. The game will be available online at B1G+, while the radio broadcast is available on the Husker Sports Network, as well as on Huskers.com and on the Huskers app.
The Huskers (7-0) are coming off of a hard-fought 80-73 win over Winthrop on Tuesday evening. Rienk Mast’s 31-point night, which included 7-of-10 from 3-point range, led four Huskers in double figures. Mast had 13 of his points in a decisive 15-5 second-half surge, as the Huskers shot 53 percent in the second half to extend their win streak to 11 games dating back to last season. Nebraska saw a 13-point lead cut to three with 1:45 left before baskets by Pryce Sandfort and Cale Jacobsen gave the Huskers some breathing room.
Mast is averaging 23.5 points per game over the last four contests while shooting 56 percent from the field, including 52 percent from 3-point range. The seventh-year senior enters Saturday’s tilt averaging team highs in scoring (18.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) while dishing out 3.5 assists per game.
The Huskers’ 7-0 start marks just the seventh time in school history that Nebraska has begun a season with seven straight wins. With a win on Saturday afternoon, the Huskers would be 8-0 for the first time since a school-record 10-0 start in 1977-78 and extend the nation’s longest win streak to 12 games.
USC Upstate (4-4) comes to Lincoln following an 87-62 win over North Carolina Central on Tuesday evening. Mason Bendinger led the Spartans with 19 points, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range to pace three players in double figures. USC shot a blistering 74 percent in the second half en route to the win.
Numbers to Know
86.6 – Nebraska’s 86.6 ppg is the program’s highest scoring average thru seven games since the 1995-96 campaign (89.7 ppg). That team averaged 80.2 ppg for the season.
11.7 – Nebraska averages 11.7 3-pointers per game to lead the Big Ten and rank 14th nationally as of Nov. 27. Currently, seven Big Ten teams are averaging more than 10.0 3-pointers per game.
80+ – Nebraska is 44-10 (.815) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 35-7 mark over the last three-plus seasons. Of those seven losses since the start of 2022-23, four came in overtime.
.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.
.958 – Nebraska is 23-1 at home in non-conference play over the last three-plus seasons and is 36-9 (.800) at home in non-conference action in Fred Hoiberg’s tenure at Nebraska.
Worth Noting
• Nebraska has now won its last 18 non-conference games dating back to Nov. 22, 2024, which is the nation’s longest non-con win streak. The Huskers have also won 12 straight home games against non-conference foes dating back to the 2023-24 season.
• The Husker men and women enter the weekend with 7-0 records, marking just the second time in school history that both programs won their first seven games. Tuesday’s game also featured another first, as both programs had a 30-point scorer (Rienk Mast-31; Britt Prince-30) on the same day in school history.
• Nebraska enters the weekend riding an 11-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 sixth-longest streak in school history. With a win on Saturday, it would be NU’s longest win streak since a school-record 14-game win streak in 1991. It would be just the second time since WW2 that NU won 12 or more straight games.
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 84.5 ppg on 49 percent shooting during its 11-game win streak and has scored at least 1.00 points per possession in all 11 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.
|
2024-25/25-26
|
11 games
|
3-31-25
|
present
|
|
|
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
|
|
10.
|
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 11th nationally with 11.7 3-pointers made per game as of Nov. 27. Nebraska’s 11.7 3-pointers per game is nearly five more per game more than last season after seven games and is the best early-season start for a Fred Hoiberg team at Nebraska.
• Nebraska has made 10-or-more 3-pointers five times in seven 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 Saturday’s game with USC Upstate ranked third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally with 20.1 assists per game. It is an increase of 5.8 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 1.99-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 11th nationally entering as of Nov. 27. 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).
• Rienk Mast is one of 24 players nationally – and eight from power conference teams – averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game entering as of Nov. 27.
• Mast is one of two active Division I players with at least 1,500 points and 900 rebounds, joining Gonzaga’s Graham Ike (2,079 points, 958 rebounds). Mast also ranks in the top 15 among active NCAA players in points, rebounds and games played.
• Pryce Sandfort is averaging 17.7 ppg on 58 percent shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game over the past six contests. He also has an 8.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that span. Sandfort has scored 20+ points three times in that stretch 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 as of Nov. 27.
• NU has had nine double-digit scoring runs this season, including three against both 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-3; Braden Frager-2; Jamarques Lawrence-1).
• Nebraska is 41-14 (.745) 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 (5.6 rpg), assists (4.3 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). According to stathead, Hoiberg and UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. are the only conference players nationally nationally averaging at least 5+ rebounds, 4+ assists and 2+ steals per game as of Nov. 27.
Winthrop Recap Behind a 31-point performance from Rienk Mast, Nebraska remained unbeaten with an 80-73 win over Winthrop Tuesday evening at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Mast hit a career-high seven 3-pointers, going 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, as he went 11-of-18 from the field and added five rebounds and four assists to pace four Huskers in double figures. Cale Jacobsen and Braden Frager added 11 points apiece, while Pryce Sandfort added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, as Nebraska shot 53 percent in the second half to overcome a 36-32 halftime deficit.
Leading 52-49 with 10:53 left, the Huskers seized control with a 15-5 spurt over the next 5:18 to build their largest lead of the night at 67-54. A Frager dunk got the run started before Mast scored the next 11 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Winthrop made one last run, scoring eight straight points to trim a 72-61 deficit to 72-69 after Kareem Rozier’s 3-pointer with 1:45 left before baskets from Sandfort and Jacobsen sealed the win.
Notes from the Winthrop Win
• With the win, Nebraska extended its nation-leading win streak to 11 games, dating back to last season.
• Rienk Mast had 31 points for his third career 30-point game and first this season. Mast scored 22 of his game-high 31 points in the second half.
• Mast was 7-of-10 from the 3-point line, setting a career high with seven 3-pointers. His seven 3-pointers tied NU’s record for most 3-pointers at Pinnacle Bank Arena (Glynn Watson Jr. – 2x). Mast’s seven 3-pointers were the most by a Husker since Kobe Webster had seven at Northwestern on March 7, 2021.
• NU had 22 assists in the game, marking the fourth time this season the Huskers have had 20 or more assists in a game this season. NU also tied a season low with five turnovers.
• Sam Hoiberg tied his career high with four steals. He also matched his season high with six assists and has a 30-to-6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Cale Jacobsen finished with a career-high 11 points and matched career bests in both rebounds (six) and blocked shots (two).
