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

The Nebraska men's basketball team continues to be the story of the men's college basketball season.

Now up to No. 7 in the AP men's basketball poll, the Huskers survived a Saturday afternoon road trip to Evanston in taking on a Northwestern team that possesses the Big Ten's leading scorer in Nick Martinelli. The Wildcats would provide a stiff test, getting as close as 46-41 with 13 minutes in the game, but the Huskers responded with a 17-2 run to put the game away, rolling to a 77-58 win to remain undefeated at 18-0 and extend its winning streak to 22 games.

Nebraska hit 11 three pointers and had Pryce Sandfort (22 points) and Braden Frager (20) each eclipse the 20-point mark. Sam Hoiberg joined his teammates in double figures with 12 points while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds.

Before starting its toughest stretch of the season, NU returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena to face Washington, which has lost all but one of its last five conference games dating back to Jan. 4.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 7 Nebraska (18-0, 7-0 B1G) vs. Washington (10-8, 2-5 B1G)
When: Wednesday, January 21
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 8 p.m. CST
Watch: Big Ten Network
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Washington Scout

Head Coach

Danny Sprinkle | 2nd season at Washington; 7th as HC
23-26 (.469) at Washignton; 132-76 (.635) Career Record
3x NCAA Tournament Apps.
2x Big Sky Tournament, 1x Big Sky Regular Season, 1x Moutain West Regular Season
1x MWC Coach OTY (2024), 1x Big Sky Coach OTY (2022)
Previous head coach at Utah State and Montana State
Previous assistant at Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Montana State

2025 Record & Awards

Record: 13-18 (4-16 B1G, 18th)
All-B1G: 1x Honorable Mention

All-Time Series

Washington leads 6-4
Feb. 5, 2025, last matchup, 86-72 NU

Washington guard Zoom Diallo (5) averages more than 15 points per game as a true sophomore. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Key Returners

Zoom Diallo | G | Soph. | Top returner from last season (11.1 PPG) and has come back to average more than 15 points per game, which is second on Washington.
Franck Kepnang | C | Gr. | 6-foot-11 Cameroon center that ranks second in the Big Ten in total blocks (38) and fourth in blocks per game (2.40).

Key Departures

Great Osobor | F | Sr. | Received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after leading the Huskies with 14 points and eight rebounds a game as a senior from England.
Tyler Harris | G | Transfer | Now at Vanderbilt after putting up over 11 points per game and shooting nearly 50% from three as a sophomore in 2024-2025.
Mekhi Mason | G | Transfer | Started in 20 of his 31 games last year for UW, adding 9.9 points per game before transferring to Wake Forest over the offseason.
DJ Davis | G | Graduated | Washington's stop reserve option last season, collecting 8.7 points per contest in his senior season.
Wilhelm Breidenbach | F | Graduated | Former Nebraska transfer who posted 4.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 30 of UW's 31 games last season.
Tyree Ihenacho | G | Graduated | Another part-time starter for UW, recording 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in all 31 games.

Former Washington forward Great Osobor led the Huskies with 14 points and eight rebounds per game as a senior last year. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Hannes Steinbach | F | Fr. | 6-foot-11 first-year player from Germany who's logging a double-double average with over 17 points and a Big Ten-leading 11 rebounds per game through his first career 18 college contests.
Desmond Claude | G | Sr. | Transfer from USC who missed the season's first four games, but is still averaging over 13 points per game.
Wesley Yates III | G | Soph. | The second USC transfer to join over the offseason, the Texas native is second on the team in three-pointers made (23).
Quimari Peterson | G | Sr. | Four-year transfer leading the team in steals (27) and fifth in scoring with 9.7 points per game.
Bryson Tucker | F | Soph. | Spent his first season of college basketball at Indiana and has come to Washington to add 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 12 of the 18 games this season.
JJ Mandaquit | G | Fr. | First-year guard that's the primary playmaker off the bench for Washington, adding five points in over 20 minutes per game.
Lathan Sommerville | C | Soph. | Made the cross-country transfer from Rutgers to Washington, chipping in four points and three rebounds off the bench.

Outlook

With a 109-50 record across five seasons at Montana State (four) and Utah State (one), Danny Sprinkle was hired to replace Mike Hopkins, who floundered around .500 for four of his last five seasons in charge. It was not a good start for Sprinkle, who saw his team finish last in the Big Ten last season with a 4-16 conference mark and 13-18 overall.

The Huskies are on pace to improve, but a 2-5 record in the first seven Big Ten games hasn't lifted confidence. It was a total roster makeover going in 2025-2026 as only two key returners made their way back to Seattle — sophomore guard Zoom Diallo, who's averaging 15 points per game this year, and 6-foot-11 center Franck Kepnang, who's one of the Big Ten's top shot blockers.

Washington forward Hannes Steinbach (6) leads the Big Ten in rebounds per game (11.1) and adds 17 points a contest. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The biggest storyline has been the addition of 6-foot-11 German forward Hannes Steinbach. A member of the German National Team, Steinbach has torched the conference for a 17-point, 11-rebound average in his first 18 career college games. The USC pair of Desmond Claude (13.3 PPG) and Wesley Yates III (13.0) has made big impacts alongside Indiana State transfer Quimari Peterson with 9.7 points per game.

The Huskies are one of the better rebounding teams in the conference with the 6-foot-11 duo of Kepnang and Steinbach, but Washington's offense can be too one-dimensional, especially when you see that they're dead last in the conference in three-point percentage at 30.7. Being at home and not having to travel to Seattle is important here, so give me Nebraska to move to 19-0.

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