Nebraska Men's Basketball Returns to AP Top 25

After a neutral-site victory over Providence, the Huskers are ranked once again.

Pryce Sandfort leads Nebraska in scoring, averaging 22.5 points through two games in 2026-27. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's official: The Huskers are a ranked team.

After opening the 2026-27 season with wins over Le Moyne and Providence, Nebraska basketball has returned to the AP Top 25. The Huskers climbed two spots from the preseason poll to No. 25.

Here's a breakdown of who NU will face this week as they look to keep climbing the polls.

Fred Hoiberg's Huskers have outscored their opponents 173-122. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 1 AP Men's Top 25

1. Florida
2. Duke
3. Illinois
4. UConn
5. Michigan State
6. Virginia
7. Texas
8. Houston
9. UCLA
10. Louisville
11. Tennessee
12. Arizona
13. St. John’s 
14. Gonzaga
15. Kansas
16. Texas Tech
17. Miami
18. Alabama
19. Arkansas
20. Michigan
21. USC
22. Vanderbilt
23. BYU
24. Kentucky
25. Nebraska

Others receiving votes:

Memphis 97, Saint Louis 67, Iowa State 57, North Carolina 20, Iowa 15, Baylor 14, TCU 13, Marquette 10, Indiana 7, Nevada 5, Texas A&M 5, High Point 3, Santa Clara 2, East Texas A&M 1, Creighton 1, Utah State 1

Nebraska guard Taj DeGourville shoots against Le Moyne. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saturday night, Nebraska hit the road for a neutral-site matchup against the Providence Friars and came away with a 67-58 victory. Thanks in large part to a strong defensive effort and a 25-point performance from Pryce Sandfort, the Huskers improved to 2-0.

However, this week presents challenges of its own, as NU returns home to host Lindenwood before another neutral-site matchup outside of their home state. The Lions are currently 2-1, dropping their season opener to TCU before recording back-to-back wins over Central Bible and East West. NU's latest defensive performance provides reason for optimism, though Lindenwood is averaging 98 points per game and has scored a total of 235 points over its last two contests.

After that, it's off to Sioux Falls, S.D., where the Big Red will take on Boise State. The Broncos are currently 2-0, though they'll face Oakland before Sunday's neutral-site matchup at the Sanford Pentagon. The two teams also share a common opponent this year. Boise State has already defeated Butler, whom the Huskers will face in Chicago later this fall. The Broncos will present another tough defensive test for the Big Red, as they're averaging 116 points per game.

Even so, the Huskers are favored in both matchups. According to ESPN Analytics, NU has a 98.2 percent chance of improving to 3-0. Nebraska has an 80.0 percent chance of defeating Boise State.

The Big Red climbed the polls quickly a season ago, opening the 2025-26 campaign with 20 consecutive wins. While replicating that start will be a difficult task, all signs point to the Huskers continuing to take steps forward as a program this year.

As one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the AP poll, NU will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself against several of the country's best programs later in the season. However, before that, should the Huskers put together another 2-0 week, expect Fred Hoiberg's squad to flirt with a spot near or in the Top 20 in next week's poll.

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