Huskers Blow Out Badgers to Open Big Ten Play, Stay Undefeated

LINCOLN—Nebrasketball is still undefeated.

Three days after hammering in-state rival Creighton, the No. 23 Huskers did the same to Wisconsin in their Big Ten Conference opener on Wednesday. After a fast, back-and-forth start, Nebraska ran away for the 90-60 win.

Nebraska improves to 10-0, marking just the second time that has happened in program history. Wisconsin falls to 7-3.

"The energy in the building was off the charts," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said after the game. "The past two games, you look at Creighton and this game tonight against Wisconsin that is exactly what we need out of our crowd. Our guys just feed off of that energy."

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel and forward Rienk Mast celebrate after drawing a foul against the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Both teams showed up with their track shoes on, with the first several minutes of the game involving an extreme pace up and down the floor. Neither team could break away by more than five points until a Rienk Mast three-pointer with 5:08 to go in the half. That sparked an 18-5 run into halftime, with Nebraska up 47-31.

The lead would only grow from there as Wisconsin was never able to threaten in the second half. Nebraska scored just three points in the final five minutes of the game but still won by 30 points.

"I thought our defense was really good after the first five minutes," Hoiberg said. "I thought we weren’t really sharp early at all of the things we’d worked on the last three days. Then we started getting active. We had zero deflections in the first eight minutes of that game. Once we had some activity going, going out on the break, that’s what fuels everything with our team."

Nebraska shot 54.1% for the game, including 11-of-30 on three-pointers. Wisconsin made just 34.4% of their shots, making 7-of-32 from deep.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort shoots a three-point basket against the Wisconsin Badgers. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Five Huskers scored in double figures, led by 17 points from Mast. He completed the double-double by grabbing 10 rebounds.

Braden Frager scored 15 points off the bench, grabbing the second-most rebounds on the team at six. Pryce Sandfort (14 points) and Sam Hoiberg (12 points) also reached double-digit scoring.

Perhaps the biggest energy booster of the night was Berke Buyuktuncel. Shooting just 10% on three-pointers so far this season, he went 2-for-2 from deep to finish with 14 points. Besides the offense, his hustle and energy were infectious, as he blocked two shots and was on the floor for loose balls multiple times. At one point, Buyuktuncel had to leave the game because of blood around his mouth.

"I think he's playing with confidence," Hoiberg said. "Even when his shot was not falling, he was still having a huge impact for our team."

THE TOUGHER TEAM. pic.twitter.com/kC0R0Cju4O
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) December 11, 2025

Nebraska continues Big Ten play with a road game this weekend. The Huskers take on No. 13 Illinois in Champaign on Saturday. Tip is set for 3 p.m. CST on Peacock.

Box score

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Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes

Nebraska moved to 10-0 on the season to tie the best start to a year in program history. The 1977-78 squad also started 10-0.
The Huskers extended their nation-leading win streak to 14 games, which ties the longest win streak in program history. NU also won 14 straight games during the 1990-91 season
Nebraska’s 14-game win streak dating back to last season is the nation’s longest win streak
NU held Wisconsin to a season-low 60 points. The Badgers came in averaging 87.9 points per game.
Nebraska’s 30-point margin of victory was its largest in a conference game since a 34-point win at Rutgers in 2016.
The 30-point margin of victory is NU’s largest in the 41-game series (previous high, 21 in 1991)
Nebraska’s 90 points was its most against the Badgers since joining the Big Ten in 2011-12, and third 90-point effort for the Huskers in 2025-26.
Rienk Mast was the leading scorer for NU with 17 total points and 11 in the first half. Mast also grabbed 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and 29th of career.
The Huskers held reigning Big Ten Player of the Week John Blackwell to a season low in points and field goal percentage (7, 1-of-11).
Jamarques Lawrence tied his career high in assists with seven. It was his third career game with seven assists
Nebraska’s 54.1 percent shooting marked the first opponent to shoot 50 percent against Wisconsin this season.
The Huskers had five shooters in double figures for the second time this season – Mast (17), Frager (15), Buyuktuncel (14), Sandfort (14) and Hoiberg (12). NU also had five double-figures against FIU.
Nebraska won its Big Ten opener for the first time since the 2018-19 season
Nebraska had two double-figure runs (10-0 to close the first half and an 11-0 run in the second half)

Nebraska Men's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

Oct. 18 Nebraska 90, BYU 89
Oct. 27 Nebraska 91, Midland 50
Nov. 3 Nebraska 86, West Georgia 53
Nov. 8 Nebraska 96, Florida International 66
Nov. 11 Nebarska 69, Maryland-Eastern Shore 50
Nov. 15 Nebraska 105, Oklahoma 99 (Sanford Pentagon)
Nov. 20 Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 21 Nebraska 86, Kansas State 85 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 25 Nebraska 80, Winthrop 73
Nov. 29 Nebraska 72, South Carolina Upstate 63
Dec. 7 Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
Dec. 10 Nebraska 90, Wisconsin 60
Dec. 13 Illinois 3 p.m. Peacock
Dec. 21 North Dakota 7 p.m. BTN
Dec. 30 New Hampshire 8 p.m. BTN
Jan. 2 Michigan State 8 p.m. Peacock
Jan. 5 Ohio State 5:30 p.m. FS1
Jan. 10 Indiana 11 a.m. BTN
Jan. 13 Oregon 8 p.m. BTN
Jan. 17 Northwestern 3 p.m. BTN
Jan. 21 Washington 8 p.m. BTN
Jan. 24 Minnesota 11 a.m. FS1
Jan. 27 Michigan 6 p.m. Peacock
Feb. 1 Illinois 3 p.m. FS1
Feb. 7 Rutgers 11 a.m. BTN
Feb. 10 Purdue 6 p.m. FS1
Feb. 14 Northwestern Noon BTN
Feb. 17 Iowa 8 p.m. BTN
Feb. 21 Penn State 1 p.m. BTN
Feb. 25 Maryland 6 p.m. BTN
Feb. 28 USC 3 p.m. BTN
March 3 UCLA 10 p.m. FS1
March 8 Iowa 4 p.m. FOX
March 10-15 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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