How to Watch No. 23 Nebraska basketball vs. Wisconsin with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

Make no mistake — Nebraska is a red state.

The undefeated Husker men's basketball team continued its blistering start to the season by rocking in-state rival and perennial NCAA Tournament participant Creighton 71-50 Sunday afternoon in front of a sold-out crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The win stamped a drastic turnaround in the rivalry series dominated by the Bluejays as NU beat CU for the third time in the last four years, marking consecutive wins in the series for the first time since the 1990s.

Rienk Mast poured in a game-high 20 points while teammates Sam Hoiberg (15) and Pryce Sandfort (13) joined him in double figures. The Huskers limited prized Iowa transfers Owen Freeman and Josh Dix to zero and nine points in a defensive effort that resulted in a horrid 30.8 field goal percentage.

What followed Monday was Nebraska's first appearance in the AP Top 25 since 2018 — appearing at No. 23 for their highest ranking since 2014. All will be on the line Wednesday night as Nebraska opens up Big Ten play as they look to match the program's best-ever start.

Here's all you need to know as the Huskers face the Badgers for a midweek conference opener.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 23 Nebraska (9-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Wisconsin (7-2, 1-0 B1G).
When: Wednesday, Dec. 10
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 8 p.m. CST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Wisconsin Scout

Head Coach

Greg Gard | 11th season at Wisconsin & as HC.
220-119 (.649) at Wisconsin & Career Record.
7x NCAA Tournament Apps., 2x Sweet 16s.
2x B1G Regular Season titles.
2x B1G Coach OTY, Jim Phelan Award (2016).
Previous assistant at Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Platteville.

2024 Record & Awards

27-10 (13-7 B1G, T-4th)
All-Americans: 1x Second Team.
All-B1G: 1x First Team, 1x Honorable Mention,

All-Time Series

Wisconsin leads 23-17.
Jan. 26, 2025, last matchup, 83-55 Wisc.

Returning Wisconsin guard John Blackwell is averaging 21 points per game to lead the Badgers so far in 2025-2026. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

Key Returners

John Blackwell | G | Jr. | Big Ten honorable mention guard last season who's averaging over 20 points per game to lead Wisconsin so far in 2025-2026.
Nolan Winter | F | Jr. | Returning seven-foot forward that's taken a step forward after starting all 37 games last season; averaging over 13 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game early in his junior campaign.
Jack Janicki | G | R-Soph. | Appeared in all 37 games off the bench last season, adding a few points per game, and has filled a similar role this year.

Key Departures

John Tonje | G | Graduated | Omaha native who was an All-Big Ten First Team pick last season after leading the Badgers in scoring with 19.6 PPG.
Steven Crowl | F | Graduated | Seven-foot center that started in all 37 games last season with 9.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG.
Max Klesmit | G | Graduated | 33-game starter last season for the Badgers, who added over nine points per game.
Kamari McGee | G | Graduated | Key reserve that shot nearly 46% from three off the bench.
Carter Gilmore | F | Graduated | Added 3.9 PPG and 2.6 RPG off the bench in all 37 games while averaging 19 minutes.
Xavier Amos | F | Transfer | Now at Chicago Loyola after chipping in just over three points per game while appearing in all 37 games last season.

Omaha native and former Wisconsin guard John Tonje was a second team All-American in his lone season with UW in 2024-2025. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Nick Boyd | G | Sr. | Arrived in Madison after one year at San Diego State and four at FAU; second on the team in scoring with over 20 points per game and a team-leading 30 assists.
Austin Rapp | F | Soph. | Was named WCC Freshman of the Year at Portland and is now averaging double figures (10.1 PPG) in starting seven of nine games for the Badgers.
Andrew Rohde | G | Sr. | Started in 53 of his 63 career games for Virginia before transferring to Wisconsin, where he's averaging 7.4 points as a starter for the Badgers.
Braeden Carrington | G | Sr. | Once a prized homegrown recruit at Minnesota, Carrington transferred from Tulsa and adds just over five points a game off the bench in all nine games.
Aleksas Bieliauskas | F | Fr. | 6-foot-10 reserve post from Lithuania that's scoring just under five points and rebounds per contest.

Outlook

Coming off the sixth 20-win season in the last seven years, head coach Greg Gard has proved to be a steady hand for Wisconsin after the sudden retirement of his former boss and friend, Bo Ryan, in 2015. However, the Badgers have yet to replicate the success Gard found in his first two seasons when UW made back-to-back Sweet 16s.

Following a season that saw the Badgers bow out in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, Gard and the program still had to navigate an offseason that saw plenty of change. A graduate of Omaha Central, John Tonje took advantage of his lone season in Madison, receiving second-team All-American and All-Big Ten First Team honors after leading the team with 19.6 PPG while hitting 85 three pointers. Seven-foot center Steven Crowl and guard Max Klesmit were two more starters who exhausted their eligibility, leaving behind a pair of nine-point scoring averages. Plus, three-point shooting reserve Kamari McGee and in-state native Carter Gilmore also graduated alongside bench forward Xavier Amos, who transferred to Chicago Loyola.

Luckily for the Badgers, they return All-Big Ten Preseason guard John Blackwell, who's grown to average a team-high 21 points per game while shooting 43.3% from three in over 60 attempts. He's been paired with San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd to create a devastating guard duo for UW, as the three-time transfer has nearly matched his teammate with 20.2 PPG and a team-high 30 assists. Despite losing a seven-footer, the Badgers returned one in starter Nolan Winte,r who's averaging a near double-double with 13.1 PPG and 9.8 RPG.

Nick Boyd (2) transferred from San Diego State and now averages 20.2 points per game for Wisconsin as a starting guard. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

Sophomore forward Austin Rapp made the jump to the Big Ten after being named the WCC Freshman of the Year at Portland. He's made a seamless transition by averaging double figures (10.1 PPG) in starting seven of UW's nine games. Senior and Virginia transfer Andrew Rohde rounds out the starting lineup. The senior guard started in 53 of his 63 career games with the Cavaliers, ranking seventh in the ACC with just over four assists per game in 2024. He's adding 7.4 PPG for the Badgers with 23 assists, which ranks second on the team. Plus, Tulsa transfer guard Braeden Carrington and freshman Lithuanian forward Aleksas Bieliauskas also play key minutes off the bench as newcomers to the program.

It's another solid squad for Gard and the Badgers, who were picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten preseason poll. An explosive offense that ranks fifth in the conference with 87.9 PPG, the Badgers have earned that mark despite ranking 14th in field goal percentage (45.3) and 13th in three-point shooting (34.3). The quartet of Blackwell, Rohde, Boyd, and Jack Janicki has all recorded double-digit steals to put UW third in the Big Ten in steals per game at 7.8, so Nebraska will have to be careful with its ball handling on the perimeter.

Overall, this feels like a game that could go either way, though it's interesting that the Huskers have done better in their common opponents (Oklahoma, BYU), even if it was just an exhibition against the Cougars. But I'm not picking against the Huskers until they prove otherwise, so give me NU to win their conference opener.

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