How Nebraska Fared Statistically in its Sweet 16 Loss

Nebraska's season comes to a close after a 77-71 Sweet 16 loss.

In a contest the Huskers led for 32:21, the final minutes went terribly wrong. Putting an end to the best season in Nebraska men's basketball history, the loss stings even more considering who it came against.

With plenty of good and bad on display, here's a recap of how the Big Red fared statistically in the biggest game they've ever played.

Scoring

The Huskers' offensive scoring in the first half was elite. Sandfort (11), Lawrence (9), Frager (9), Mast (7), and Hoiberg (6) all chipped in to varying degrees, and NU shot 15-for-26 (~58%) through the first 20 minutes of play.

The pace drastically slowed down out of the break, and in part, to Iowa's defensive credit, the Huskers went cold. In the final half of NU's historic 2025-26 season, they shot just 9-for-32 (~28%) while being outscored 34-25. Sandfort (14) and Frager (7) still managed to find theirs in the second half, but ultimately it wasn't enough.

Iowa held Nebraska to just 24-for-58 shooting (~41), and only two Huskers reached double digits in the game. Becoming the 15th contest of the season that the Big Red failed to have four or more players reach that mark, its record when that occurred moved to 10-5 (.667). For context, NU finished the season going 16-1 (.942) when it did occur.

Husker Scoring Performance:

P. Sandfort: 25 PTS (8-13 FG, 3-3 FT)
B. Frager: 16 PTS (5-8 FG, 1-2 FT)
J. Lawrence: 9 PTS (2-5 FG, 3-3 FT)
R. Mast: 9 PTS (4-15 FG, 1-1 FT)
S. Hoiberg: 6 PTS (3-7 FG, 0-0 FT)
C. Jacobsen: 4 PTS (1-3 FG, 2-2 FT)
B. Buyuktuncel: 2 PTS (1-7 FG, 0-0 FT)

Berke Buyuktuncel grabbed 10 rebound in the Huskers Sweet 16 loss. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Rebounding

NU beat Iowa at its own game throughout its entirety, after the Hawkeyes just did the same to the best rebounding team in America in the Round of 32 (Florida). Five minutes into Thursday's context, the Big Red held a 7-0 lead on the boards. In large part due to Berke Buyuktuncel, who ended the half with six of his own, Nebraska took a 13-8 (5-2 offensive rebounds) advantage into the locker room. They also led 8-5 in second-chance points, which arguably was the difference in the game at that point.

Out of the half, they continued to keep their edge, though shots made were few and far between offensively. Once again, the Huskers outrebounded the Hawkeyes, 22-18, and held the advantage in the offensive rebounding department as well (7-1). Regardless, the game is and always will be about buckets, and Iowa managed to score more of them when it mattered the most.

Overall, the Big Red outrebounded its rival 35-26 on Thursday night. They also finished the game with an impressive 12-3 advantage on the offensive glass, yet found a way to lose. It goes to show that even when effort and intensity are there, and seem to significantly overmatch an opponent, shot-making ability is king.

Husker Rebounding Leaders:

B. Buyuktuncel:10 REB
R. Mast: 6 REB
C. Jacobsen: 5 REB
P. Sandfort: 5 REB
S. Hoiberg: 3 REB
J. Lawrence: 1 REB
B. Frager: 1 REB

Assists

The Big Red continued to share the ball at a high level in this game. For a team that averaged 18.0 assists per contest before the Sweet 16, Nebraska already had 12 by the end of the first half. Considering the Huskers only made 15 shots during that time, 80% of their makes came as a result of a teammate's pass.

Again, the Huskers continued to spread touches to every player on the floor in the second half. Even so, the nine shots Nebraska made simply weren't enough. Ending their season with another seven assists in the final half of play, NU finished one above their season-long average.

In total, the Big Red held a slight advantage in assists (19-18), but obviously, it wasn't enough to change the outcome of the game. Until the very end, they continued to pass the ball to teammates for open looks but couldn't consistently put the ball in the hoop. As a result, their NCAA Tournament run is over.

Husker Assist Leaders:

S. Hoiberg: 6 AST
R. Mast: 4 AST
B. Buyuktuncel: 3 AST
J. Lawrence: 2 AST
P. Sandfort: 2 AST
B. Frager: 1 AST
C. Jacobsen: 1 AST

Alvaro Folgueiras scored 16 points in the Hawkeyes 77-71 win over Nebraska in the Sweet 16. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Defensively

It's hard to say that Nebraska did well on the defensive end in this game, but they arguably did enough. Iowa scored 43 points in the first half on 15-for-25 (60%) shooting, but the Huskers held them to just five second-chance points. When shots weren't going in, which didn't happen a lot, NU boarded well and took the lead into the halftime break as a result.

After adjustments were made on both sides, the Hawkeyes slowed down offensively a bit. Regardless, it wasn't enough for Nebraska to be celebrating when the final buzzer sounded. Iowa shot 6-for-19 from beyond the arc after the break and made 4-of-five free throw attempts. For comparison, the Huskers went 6-for-24 from deep and made just one of their two from the charity stripe.

In total, NU was more than capable of winning a game against Iowa even if they scored 77 points. The most disappointing thing about the Big Red's performance was the lack of it down the stretch. Leading and playing well through the first 35 minutes of play, the final five are what will be remembered in this game. And though the Hawkeyes deserve credit for pulling out a victory, the Huskers arguably gave it away.

Hawkeyes Scoring Performance (Double Figures only):

B. Stirtz: 20 PTS (7-15 FG, 3-3 FT)
T. Sage: 19 PTS (6-10 FG, 3-4 FT)
A. Folgueiras: 16 PTS (6-7 FG, 2-3 FT)
C. Koch: 11 PTS (3-8 FG, 2-2 FT)

Nebraska Men's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

Oct. 18 Nebraska 90, BYU 89
Oct. 27 Nebraska 91, Midland 50
Nov. 3 Nebraska 86, West Georgia 53
Nov. 8 Nebraska 96, Florida International 66
Nov. 11 Nebarska 69, Maryland-Eastern Shore 50
Nov. 15 Nebraska 105, Oklahoma 99 (Sanford Pentagon)
Nov. 20 Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 21 Nebraska 86, Kansas State 85 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 25 Nebraska 80, Winthrop 73
Nov. 29 Nebraska 72, South Carolina Upstate 63
Dec. 7 Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
Dec. 10 Nebraska 90, Wisconsin 60
Dec. 13 Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
Dec. 21 Nebraska 78, North Dakota 55
Dec. 30 Nebraska 86, New Hampshire 55
Jan. 2 Nebraska 58, Michigan State 56
Jan. 5 Nebraska 72, Ohio State 69
Jan. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77
Jan. 13 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55
Jan. 17 Nebraska 77, Northwestern 58
Jan. 21 Nebraska 76, Washington 66
Jan. 24 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57
Jan. 27 Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
Feb. 1 Illinois 78, Nebraska 69
Feb. 7 Nebraska 80, Rutgers 68
Feb. 10 Purdue 80, Nebraska 77
Feb. 14 Nebraska 68, Northwestern 49
Feb. 17 Iowa 57, Nebraska 52
Feb. 21 Nebraska 87, Penn State 64
Feb. 25 Nebraska 74, Maryland 61
Feb. 28 Nebraska 82, USC 67
March 3 UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
March 8 Nebraska 84, Iowa 75
March 13 Purdue 74, Nebraska 58 (Big Ten Tournament)
March 19 Nebraska 76, Troy 47 (NCAA Tournament)
March 21 Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 72 (NCAA Tournament)
March 26 Iowa 77, Nebraska 71 (NCAA Tournament)

Home games are bolded. All times central.