Is Illinois on Upset Watch Following Nebraska's Dominant Win Over Wisconsin?

The Illini were originally expected to comfortably get past their next opponent - the Cornhuskers - but that may no longer be the case

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood motions to his team during the first half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Dec. 9, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, the date 12/13 was circled on absolutely nobody’s calendar. For a while, this upcoming Saturday appeared to be a seemingly trivial home Big Ten matchup for Illinois, as it’d face off against a Nebraska squad projected to finish in the back third of the league. 

Every conference game is a must-win, but for an Illini squad that is top-15 in the country, the expectation was they wouldn’t have much trouble taking down the Cornhuskers in Champaign. 

But as the season got underway, Nebraska continued to rattle off win after win. A victory over Oklahoma gave Fred Hoiberg’s club its first high-major triumph, then came the Kansas State win. After the Cornhuskers toppled Creighton by 21 points, it became clear they weren’t simply taking advantage of a low-level opening slate. 

Then again, Creighton has had quite the underwhelming campaign to date. Fortunately, a looming conference opener against Wisconsin awaited Nebraska, giving us a clear opportunity to see if the hype was real. 

The Huskers shut down the Badgers in their B1G opener 😤@HuskerMBB’s 90-60 victory is the largest Nebraska win over Wisconsin in their series history 👀 pic.twitter.com/0etKNuqPHJ

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) December 11, 2025

And on Wednesday, we got our answer: yes – and a resounding yes at that. In front of its home crowd, Nebraska continued its undefeated season in tremendous fashion, blowing out Wisconsin 90-60.

The Cornhuskers controlled the game in every facet, winning the glass 38 to 32, holding the Badgers to 34.4 percent from the field, while shooting 54.1 percent themselves and dishing out 20 assists as a team. 

Is Illinois vs. Nebraska a heavyweight battle?

Nov 25, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts to a play during the first half against the Winthrop Eagles at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Now that previously glossed over date of 12/13 has quickly turned into a can’t-miss matchup featuring a ranked Nebraska team holding onto an unblemished record and a 13th-ranked Illinois club riding a two-game winning streak. 

Illinois-Nebraska recent history

The Illini certainly have the individual pieces, along with the team abilities (Illinois should dominate Nebraska on the boards), to take down the Cornhuskers. But that was also the case a year ago, yet Illinois fell in overtime against Nebraska. Of course, though, that contest did take place in Lincoln. 

What about the 2023-24 season? That Illinois team went to the Elite Eight, yet it nearly fell apart and suffered a loss to a Keisei-Tominaga led Nebraska club (he had 31 points) that took the Illini to overtime in Champaign.

That said, Illinois has still won nine of the last ten outings vs. Nebraska. Do the Illini still have the Cornhuskers’ number – and can they put an end to their undefeated season?  

Perhaps, but this uber-confident Nebraska squad will undoubtedly waltz into Champaign riding high, and, most importantly, will enter State Farm Center with full belief that it can knock off Illinois. 

It may be undermining Nebraska, which debuted at No. 23 in the AP poll on Monday prior to beating the brakes off Wisconsin, to call Saturday afternoon a “trap game”. But, between the on-paper disparity and home-court advantage, it’s still fair to say Illinois is a heavy favorite. 

Not afraid of the B1G stage. 

In his first league game, Keaton drops a career-high 23 points! pic.twitter.com/DARhyBA7YR

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 10, 2025

Yet, somehow it feels as though the Cornhuskers have more than a puncher’s chance. Both teams will be playing their third high-level game in a short period of time (eight days for Illinois and seven days for Nebraska), but it feels as though Cornhuskers may be riding that momentum and rhythm, while the Illini may be poised to take their foot of the gas. 

Can Nebraska catch Illinois and shock the college hoops world, while launching itself into top-15 discussions? Or do the Illini answer the bell and steamroll the Cornhuskers, while putting an emphatic end to their magical ride? Only time will tell.