Boise State men’s basketball suffers first loss to No. 25 Nebraska

Huskers rout Broncos in neutral-site game, 102-75

Boise State's Aginaldo Neto. | Photo courtesy of Boise State Athletics

The Boise State men’s basketball team hit the century mark in its first three games of the 2026-27 season.

The Broncos faced a much tougher opponent on Sunday, and No. 25 Nebraska shot 67 percent from the floor en route to a dominant 102-75 neutral-site victory. 

The Huskers (4-0) finished 38 of 57 from the floor and 12 of 24 from beyond the arc while out-rounding Boise State (3-1) by a 35-24 margin. 

Boise State head coach Leon Rice praised Nebraska, which reached the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, during his postgame radio interview.

“They’re a legitimate top-25 team,” Rice said. “They’re going to be a high-level NCAA Tournament team. That’s what we saw tonight.”

Spencer Ahrens and Aginaldo Neto paced the Broncos with 17 points apiece. Damari Wheeler-Thomas added 14 points and eight assists while Dovydas Butka tallied 13 points and seven rebounds. 

Boise State’s bench scored just eight points in the blowout loss at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

The Broncos, who entered Sunday averaging 114.3 points per game, were unable to attack the paint against Nebraska’s stout interior defense.

“Their defense is ahead of most teams in the country,” Rice said. “They were tougher than us, they had more resolve than us. 

“I just feel like we got away from our identity tonight. It doesn’t matter if you’re making or missing shots when you can hang your hat on defense and rebounding. We didn’t do a good enough job of that.”

Braden Frager overpowered the Broncos for 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Four other Huskers finished in double figures, highlighted by Pryce Sandfort’s 17 points, four rebounds and three assists. 

“You can’t beat a good team by letting them shoot 67 percent,” Rice said. “We need to be able to guard better, and we’ll get back to that. We just have to keep that grit about us.”

Boise State will begin a two-game homestand on Friday against Sam Houston (2-2). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Mountain time at ExtraMile Arena.

The Broncos will then host Idaho State on Tuesday, Nov. 24 before competing in the Snake River Collegiate Basketball Invitational in Idaho Falls with matchups against Drake, North Texas and North Dakota State.

Sam Houston has a pair of losses to No. 3 Illinois and No. 20 Alabama.

“They’ve played everybody tough and they’re talented,” Rice said of the Bearkats.