How to Watch No. 7 Nebraska Basketball vs. Northwestern with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

Only a wet spot on the court separated what could've been one of the most dramatic wins in Nebraska men's basketball history.

Trailing 77-76 to Purdue, the No. 7 Huskers had 4.1 seconds left in overtime to complete their 22-point second-half comeback. Point guard Jamarques Lawrence, who already had hit key shots down the stretch to force the extra period, gathered the inbound pass and started his sprint up the court when he suddenly slipped on a spot in front of Purdue's bench. The ball rolled to Gicarri Harris, who would get fouled and hit the ensuing two free throws to lock up an 80-77 final score to give the Boilermakers a statement win.

Overcoming what was a poor performance by NU through the first 30 minutes, the Huskers nearly completed the comeback. Rienk Mast led Nebraska in scoring for the second-straight game with 18 points, while Lawrence (16) and Pryce Sandfort (15) also reached double digits. The difference ended up being the rebounding battle, where Purdue won with ease, 54-37, including a stout 21 to 6 offensive rebounding margin.

With a few extra days to reset and recover, the Huskers begin the final seven-game stretch to round out the regular season, which starts with Northwestern Saturday afternoon in Lincoln. Here's all you need to know.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 7 Nebraska (21-3, 10-3 B1G) vs. Northwestern (10-15, 2-11 B1G)
When: Saturday, February 14
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 12 p.m. CST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Northwestern Scout

Head Coach

Chris Collins | 13th season at Northwestern & as HC
204-204 (.500) at NW & Career Record
3x NCAA Tournament Apps.
Jim Phelan Award (2023), 1x B1G Coach OTY (2023)
Previous assistant at Duke, Seton Hall, and Detroit Shock

2024-2025 Record & Awards

Record: 17-16 (7-13 B1G, T-12th)
All-B1G: 1x Second Team, 1x Honorable Mention

All-Time Series

Northwestern leads 14-12
Jan. 17, 2026, last matchup, 77-58 NU

Northwestern forward Nick Martinelli (2) enters the final stretch of his college career as the Big Ten's leading scorer. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Key Returners

Nick Martinelli | F | Sr. | Returning All-Big Ten Second Team forward who has improved to now lead the Big Ten in scoring with 22.7 points per game.
K.J. Windham | G | Soph. | Appeared in 29 games as a key reserve in his freshman season, but has only played in 13 games this year with 3.8 PPG.
Jordan Clayton | G | Jr. | Has gone from playing in 10 games last year to 21 games this season, including 10 starts, but he's scoring under two points a game.
Justin Mullins | G | Sr. | 17 of his 19 appearances this season have been off the bench, totaling 3.8 points per contest.
Angelo Ciaravino | G | Soph. | Gained valuable experience off the bench as a true freshman, leading the way for him to contribute over six points and just under four rebounds per game in an improved sophomore campaign.

Key Departures

Brooks Barnhizer | G | Graduated | Averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game in only half a season in his final year of college basketball before being drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jalen Leach | G | Graduated | Veteran guard who scored 14.3 points per game, but missed 10 games.
Ty Berry | G | Graduated | The last of four players to average double figures (10.6) while adding over three rebounds per game out of 33 appearances.
Matthew Nicholson | C | Graduated | Seven-foot center from Michigan who added over five points and rebounds per contest as a full-time starter for the Wildcats.
Luke Hunger | F | R-Soph. | Played in 62 career games for the Wildcats, but transferred to George Washington over the offseason.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Brooks Barnhizer (23) scored 17 points and 8.8 rebounds per game at Northwestern in 2024-2025. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Arrinten Page | F | Jr. | A bottom bench piece at Cincinnati last year, Page has broken out for 10.9 points and 4.7 points per game for NW.
Jayden Reid | G | Jr. | A former All-AAC preseason honoree who's adding over 10 points a game for the Wildcats.
Tre Singleton | F | Fr. | Former top-100 recruit who has started in 21 of his first 24 career games with an average of 8.2 points and over five rebounds a night in nearly 25 minutes.
Max Green | G | Soph. | Third-Team All-Patriot League Team as a true freshman at Holy Cross before coming to Northwestern.
Jake West | G | Fr. | A former three-star recruit out of Pennsylvania, the first-year guard scores four points per game.

Outlook

There has been a slight improvement for the Northwestern men's basketball team since getting blown out by Nebraska 77-58 back on Jan. 17. The Wildcats scraped together their only two Big Ten wins with victories over USC (74-68) and Penn State (94-73), which both came within three games after facing the Cornhuskers. But Northwestern enters Saturday riding a four-game losing streak, dropping consecutive contests to Washington, No. 5 Illinois, Iowa, and No. 2 Michigan.

Nick Martinelli continues to build a banner year in his final season of college basketball. An All-Big Ten Second Team selection last season, Martinelli leads the conference in scoring this year with 22.7 points per game. His support has been limited, but Cincinnati transfer Arrinten Page (10.9) and USF transfer Jayden Reid (10.2) both score in double figures. Sitting last in the Big Ten in three-point shooting and ranking near the bottom in rebounds per game, the Wildcats are a much better matchup for the Huskers than the last few opponents when it comes to the battle in the paint.

Nebraska should come away with an easy win in the friendly confines of Pinnacle Bank Arena, but a complete, buzzer-to-buzzer team performance would serve the Huskers well as they start a favorable seven-game stretch to end the regular season.

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