How Nebrasketball Keeps Winning the Hard Way

Despite a perfect record, Nebraska’s season has been anything but smooth, marked by double-digit comebacks, narrow escapes and a steady evolution from overlooked underdog to one of the nation’s most resilient teams.

For the second time this season, Nebraska came back from a 16-point deficit to keep their undefeated record in-tact. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Typically when you shoot out to a 16-0 start to the year, you expect a few bumps and bruises along the way from teams trying to knock you off your pedestal.

However, the Nebraska men’s basketball team has soared to a No. 8 national ranking as perennial underdogs. After breezing through the first three non-conference games of the year, where almost every Power Four conference team is favored, Nebraska showed up as an underdog for the first time in a neutral-site game against former rival Oklahoma.

The Huskers looked the part of the underdog, falling behind by 16 points before storming all the way back to stun the Sooners 105-99 in Sioux Falls.

Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort helped key a 16-point comeback win against Oklahoma in Sioux Falls earlier this season. | Nebraska Athletics

The Huskers then entered the “win, but barely” stretch of their season, where they were convincingly favored. However, they only beat Kansas State by one, Winthrop by seven and USC-Upstate by nine after finding themselves in their second double-digit deficit of the season. Upstate opened up a 12-point lead over the Huskers before NU woke up and did just enough to stay unbeaten on the year.

Ever since that point, Nebraska’s been on a mission, recording a 21-point win over in-state rival Creighton, a 30-point win over traditional Big Ten Conference power Wisconsin and a few more upset wins over then-No. 13 Illinois on the road and then-No. 9 Michigan State in Lincoln (despite Vegas actually spotting the Huskers 2.5 points in the odds).

It hasn’t been until really the past few weeks that Nebraska shifted from the hunter to the hunted, and that was on full display in their last outing at Indiana. The Hoosiers shut down the Huskers at every turn Saturday, becoming the second team this season to open up a 16-point lead on Nebraska.

Indiana had plenty of reason to celebrate early against No. 10 Nebraska as the Hoosiers opened up a 16-point lead. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

However, the comeback kids did it again – nickel and diming their way back into it before pulling away for their nation-leading 20th-straight win dating back to last season, beating IU 83-77. Ironically enough, despite being the No. 10 team in the country this weekend, Indiana was a 4.5-point favorite to hand the Huskers their first loss of the season.

Nonetheless, Nebraska’s now a perfect 16-0 this season, and head coach Fred Hoiberg can’t speak enough to his team’s resolve through the first half of the year.

“They pushed the lead up to 16, and there was just no panic with this group,” Hoiberg said in his postgame press conference following the win over IU. “That’s the thing I’ve been most impressed (with). Their emotions are the same, their body language doesn’t change and eventually we loosened them up and went on a little bit of a run.”

Despite falling down by 16, Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said there was "no panic" with his team before they mounted their comeback. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To call Nebraska’s second comeback this season from 16 points down “a little bit of a run” is an understatement, but it’s due to the team’s ability to also understate the urgency of their opponent having the upper hand early.

Earlier this season, Hoiberg lamented about the team’s starts to games, especially at home against what was considered lesser opponents (see earlier reference to the barely winning portion of the schedule).

It’s almost as if the team also didn’t know if they were as good as they have now become. Game by game, NU has proven to both the fan base and themselves that they’re not out of any game, regardless of the deficit they face or how Vegas views their chances heading in.

Nebraska senior guard Jamarques Lawrence led NU with 27 points in the 83-77 Husker win over Indiana. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

“I think we have the right mindset,” Nebraska senior guard Jamarques Lawrence said after the IU win. “Every game, it’s a stretch where we take some questionable shots, but the thing about this group is we can come together. We talk to each other about that and just try to find the right shot for anybody.”

Lawrence was the hot hand for the Huskers on Saturday, pouring in a team-high 27 points, more than doubling the next closest teammate, which was senior forward Rienk Mast with 13 points. Frankly, it’s a snapshot of why the Huskers have been so difficult to stop this season, even for perennial powers like Michigan State and Illinois.

It’d be one thing if teams could key on returning star Rienk Mast, but the return of Lawrence, paired with the addition of Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort, has made Nebraska’s offensive attack one of the most spread in the conference. Then add on the “scrappiness” factor of the coach’s kid, Sam Hoiberg, and Nebraska seems to be the most formidable Husker team in at least the past quarter-century.

The senior-laden squad is also making life easy for coach Hoiberg, who says sometimes the team coaches themselves.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said sometimes his team coaches themselves through some of the tougher moments they've faced this season. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

“It’s great because you know they’re going to keep going,” Hoiberg said about moments in games where the team is trailing. “You don’t have to go in there and get on them about their effort. Their effort’s been there. It’s been there through the good times and the bad times, so if you don’t have to go in there and correct effort and correct them playing hard, you can get right to the strategy of it.”

For 16 games this season, that strategy has worked like a charm, and now Nebraska truly is in uncharted territory. For at least the next three games, even Las Vegas will agree that the No. 8 Huskers should win.

As of the writing of this article, Nebraska is listed as a 10.5-point favorite against Oregon on Tuesday night in Lincoln. The odds are much slimmer for NU when they hit the road on Saturday to take on Northwestern, with the line currently leaning toward Nebraska, but at just a 1.5-point margin. Vegas then likes Nebraska by 2.5 points over Washington before jumping the Huskers back out to a 7.5-point favorite against Minnesota.

After climbing the ranks as underdogs for much of the season, No. 8 Nebraska will now play as a favorite in the next four contests. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

For coach Hoiberg and the No. 8 Huskers, it’s a break from a gauntlet of games only to put themselves into potential trap games both at home and on the road. However, for this team and the way they prepare, Hoiberg said they’ll be treating Oregon like they’ve treated every team this season.

“(We) just found a way to gut one out in a really tough building against what I think is a hell of a team,” Hoiberg said following the win in Bloomington. “Proud of the guys for how they continue to find a way, and we’re going to continue to come out and prepare and not be satisfied. We’ve got a big one coming up on Tuesday.”

“I just think we know there’s no easy game in the Big Ten,” Nebraska junior guard Cale Jacobsen said in his postgame press conference at Indiana. “This is an incredibly tough league, and when you go on the road you can’t take a win for granted.”

Oregon will be opening a 3-game stretch Tuesday where they'll play No. 8 Nebraska, No. 4 Michigan and No. 12 Michigan State in consecutive games. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That mindset will be put to the test Tuesday night against an Oregon team that’s kicking off what might be the toughest stretch of any team in the Big Ten. They take on No. 8 Nebraska Tuesday night in Lincoln before returning home to host No. 4 Michigan Saturday and No. 12 Michigan State next Tuesday.

The Ducks most certainly will be upset-minded for the next week of its season, with Nebraska getting the freshest version. However, it’s a challenge that the “old guys” on Nebraska’s roster say they’ll be ready for.

“We’re a super mature group,” Sandfort said following the team’s latest comeback victory. “I think it just shows that maturity that we’ve been talking about all year long. We’re an older group. We’re experienced, and we know the ups and downs of the games, especially in the Big Ten. Super proud of how we responded and never got down.”

The message from Nebraska is pretty simple ahead of the Oregon game regarding their mindset. Coach Hoiberg says to expect exactly what you've seen all year from the Huskers. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

As for the mentality Nebraska plans to take the floor with Tuesday night, coach Hoiberg says to expect much of the same. He says he’s made it a point all year to make sure the team doesn’t pay attention to all the headlines and stays focused on the task at hand.

“That’s hard to do when you have those emotional wins,” Hoiberg said. “We talk about that in this business. You have to be able to do that. You have to bounce back from the emotional wins, and you’ve got to get over the tough, hard losses. This team has continued to get over the wins. I asked them again if they’re satisfied and they’re not. (We’ve) got to keep this thing going.”

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