At 15-0, Nebraska Is No Longer the Hunter — It’s the Hunted

With wins over No. 9 Michigan State and No. 13 Illinois, the Huskers won't be sneaking up on anyone for the rest of the season. Now, they have to actually play like they are the No. 10 team in the country.

So much for flying under the radar. The Nebraska men's basketball team is starting to morph into a Big Ten contender. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Since the calendar flipped to December, the Nebraska men’s basketball team hasn’t been able to take its foot off the gas.

After a relatively easy nonconference schedule, the Huskers entered the “prove it” part of the schedule, starting with a  Dec. 7 home game against in-state rival Creighton. At the time, the 71-50 Nebraska win left fans wondering if Nebraska was actually good or if Creighton was having an off year.

Then came a stretch where the Huskers took on Wisconsin and then-No. 13 Illinois. The Huskers absolutely routed the Badgers in a 90-60 win in Lincoln before making their first true statement of the season – an 83-80 win at Illinois.

The first real shockwave of the Husker season came when Nebraska knocked off No. 13 Illinois. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

NU caught its breath with its final two nonconference games before jumping back into the Big Ten fray with a two-game stretch featuring No. 9 Michigan State and a 10-3 Ohio State team that proved more than up to the task of taking on the upstart Huskers.

Somehow, through that gauntlet, the Huskers are still undefeated at 15-0. The perennial underdog has one more “big” game ahead of it before the season takes what could be an odd twist that the Husker faithful isn’t used to.

Instead of Nebraska being the team hoping to rise up for an upset, the 10th-ranked Huskers are now in the position of needing to stand tall to avoid being upset.

Despite their rise through the national rankings, Nebraska players and coaches say their mindset hasn't changed on the season. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“It’s honestly not too much of a mindset change,” senior guard Sam Hoiberg said after Nebraska’s 72-69 win over Ohio State to improve to 15-0. “You talk about it, you’re being hunted, you’re going to get everyone’s best shot, but it’s the Big Ten – that’s going to happen regardless.”

For Nebraska, it’s been easy to get up for their recent stretch of games considering they’re playing consistent tourney teams like Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin and soon-to-be Indiana. In fact, the Hoosiers will serve as Nebraska’s latest “tough test” to see if they’re really as good as their 15-0 record states.

Indiana takes on Maryland on Wednesday evening, but they’ll be entering the contest looking to improve to 12-3 on the year. The Hoosiers haven’t shown many weaknesses in their own hot start, with convincing wins over Kansas State and Penn State. IU absolutely destroyed the Nittany Lions 113-72 on Dec. 9. Fast forward to Jan. 6 – that same Nittany Lions team nearly handed No. 2 Michigan its first loss of the year, falling by just two points to the Wolverines.

Indiana is currently favored to hand Nebraska its first loss of the season Saturday. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

It’s a long way of saying Indiana will be more than ready for a Nebraska team that’s still hearing from doubters despite their top-10 ranking. The Las Vegas odds aren’t out yet, but ESPN’s “game predictor” is giving the Hoosiers a 68.3% chance to hand Nebraska its first loss on the season.

Even if Nebraska can’t escape Bloomington, Ind., with its 16th-straight win of the year, the hot start from the Huskers has already changed an overall mentality. Instead of being the hunter like they will be again Saturday at Indiana, Nebraska’s officially becoming the hunted.

Good luck of convincing Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg of that, though.

“We’re not going to look at it that way,” Hoiberg said after his team’s win against Ohio State. “We’re just going to prepare the same way, and we’ve got a big one coming up. Our guys in the locker room, they’re pretty stoic for the most part.”

Nebraska redshirt freshman Braden Frager says the team is unfazed by its rise in the national rankings this season. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“I think we take it really well,” Nebraska redshirt-freshman Braden Frager said on the new expectations Monday night. “We all love each other. We all play for each other, so I think that’s the biggest thing is just playing for each other. We don’t really care about the outside noise. All we’re worried about is what’s within the group.”

They have plenty to worry about with their upcoming showdown against the Hoosiers. Indiana currently is the fifth-highest scoring team in the Big Ten, averaging 85.1 points per game, and you can expect most of that to come from behind the arc. In fact, Indiana leads the conference with 10.7 made 3-pointers per contest. As for who’s ranked second? You guessed it – Nebraska with 10.3 made 3-pointers per game.

If both teams are hitting their shots Saturday, it could be a track meet in Bloomington, and it’s something the Huskers say they’ll be ready for.

“Guys aren’t really taking nights off in the Big Ten,” Sam Hoiberg said. “There’s never a free win, per se, but now you are the hunted, and that’s what we’ve talked about and we’ve got to be ready even more for every single night.”

Nebraska senior guard Sam Hoiberg says there are no nights off when playing in the Big Ten Conference. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

What’s been a huge benefit for the Huskers amidst their 15-0 start is the fact that they are putting up a “moving target” for all of the teams trying to hunt them down, and their 72-69 win over Ohio State is a perfect example.

Nebraska used just eight players in the game, but every one of them scored, with the three bench players combining for 22 points. As for the Buckeyes, they saw zero points from their bench players in the 3-point loss.

“It’s huge,” Sam Hoiberg said of the team’s ability to trust each other in key moments. “Our main guys didn’t score as much as normal, and in a game like (that), you’re going to need guys to step up. Everyone, I thought, stepped up and played a big role in this win, and that’s what a team that is going to be (in) the top-10 (does). You’ve got to have guys that step up every single night, and if guys aren’t playing well, you’ve got other people to pick up the slack, and that’s been huge for us.”

Nebraska beat Indiana 85-68 last season, and the Hoosiers will be looking to return the favor Saturday against the No. 10. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Saturday figures to be a test that will require another team effort from the Huskers if they hope to return to Lincoln with an unblemished record. When they take the floor against the Hoosiers, there won’t be any secrets about the Huskers. Being ranked No. 10 nationally tends to let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

The “X” is squarely on the back of the Huskers, but it’s something they’ve been oddly cool, calm and collected about so far this season.

“These guys have been professional,” Fred Hoiberg said. “That’s the biggest thing that I give them credit for throughout this stretch is nobody’s getting too high. If things turn the other way, I’m confident that they won’t get too low. That’s what it takes. Great teams find a way to win these games, and I’m proud of how the guys have responded to this point. We’re pretty much at the halfway point now, and we’ve got a lot of work in front of us. “

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