Nebraska Men's Basketball Finishes the Regular Season Ranked Outside the Top 10

A 1-1 week to close out the regular season has Nebraska back outside of the top 10.

The latest AP poll on Monday saw the Huskers drop to No. 11. They were No. 9 the week before.

Other Big Ten Conference teams ranked in the top 25 include Michigan (3), Michigan State (8), Illinois (9), Purdue (18), and Wisconsin (23). Ohio State is receiving votes.

Ending Big Ten regular-season play, splitting its final two games, the Huskers' win on Senior Day also tied them with the 1990-91 team for most wins in a single year. History continues to be made for players, coaches, and the team alike, with their goal of becoming the first team to win an NCAA Tournament game nearing with each passing day.

Having secured a triple-bye in the Big Ten tournament, the Big Red will get some much-needed rest before taking on an opponent to be determined on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CDT.

Last week wasn't easy on the eyes, but winning against rival Iowa at home, in overtime, offered a poetic ending to a historical regular season.

In an uninspired road loss to UCLA on Tuesday night, Nebraska arguably looked as bad as it had all year. In March, that is never a good sign. Still, they managed to bounce back in a big way against the Hawkeyes inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

To their credit, the Huskers ended regulation without much momentum at all but managed to pull themselves out of that hole in overtime. Outscoring Iowa 14-5, NU walked off the court as clear victors and sent their senior home with one final win inside the vault.

Now, the more important part of the season begins.

Following the win against Iowa, the Huskers ended the 2025-26 regular season tied for the most wins in program history. Fred Hoiberg's team did so well that Nebraska's athletic department extended his contract through the 2031-32 season.

After three consecutive years of 20+ wins, the Big Red are as hot as they've ever been, and now fans no longer have to worry about their head coach leaving Lincoln anytime soon. Whether the program continues to rise remains to be seen, but with fan base buy-in being extended all the way up through the school's athletic director, Hoiberg will appear to see a noticeable growth in resources heading into next year. It's good news for Nebrasketball fans who have been desperately searching for a team to get behind apart from the volleyball team in recent years.

Without knowing exactly who they will play, the Big Red are already slotted into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament this upcoming week. As the seeding shook out, they will prepare to play one of Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana, or Purdue on Friday evening.

Having already defeated three of those four teams during the regular season, the Huskers likely head into their upcoming matchup as the favorite to advance. Purdue is the lone team Nebraska suffered a loss to of the bunch, but all four are capable of bringing them down, to say the least.

That means that extreme focus and urgency will be needed to move on. NU showed throughout the season that when clicking, they can battle with the likes of any team in the country. Even with that, they also displayed a lack of being able to string a full 40 minutes together on the same night.

If able to play as they did in overtime against the Hawkeyes, expect Nebraska to have as good a shot as any to become this year's Big Ten champs. If not, they could lose as early as their first game. There's a wide range of possibilities that could occur; that is exactly why having a veteran team like Hoiberg this year is so crucial.

Finishing the year with a 26-5 (15-5 Big Ten) record marks the most wins in conference play the Huskers have achieved since joining the Big Ten back in 2011. It also marks the first time they have earned the two-seed in that timeframe as well.

With that in mind, this is new territory for a school historically known for success on the football field and volleyball court. Still, there's reason to believe they can get the job done. Throughout the year, NU battled day in and day out, earning its placement at the end of the year. Because of that, they were rewarded with a highly coveted triple-bye. Now, taking advantage of that is what they will need to do.

Their reward for handling business is significant at that. A second-place finish kept Nebraska away from three of the five teams they suffered a loss to earlier in the year, including No. 6 Iowa, No. 4 Illinois, and No. 1 Michigan, until the championship game.

Now, they'll likely see a rematch with seventh-seeded Purdue, whom they lost to by 2-points in overtime at home in Lincoln on Feb. 10. If able to advance the only other team they've suffered a loss to during the regular season was UCLA, who they could see in the in the Semifinals if able to emerge from the pack slotted to take on third-seeded Michigan State also on Friday.

The time to be playing your best basketball is now, and it's a good thing the Big Red managed to end the regular season on a high note with an overtime win. They now know more than ever what they are capable of doing, as well as what is capable of happening to them if they don't answer the call.

That nail-biting ending may have been the wakeup call this team needed, and Hoiberg will likely use that to his advantage when getting his team ready to go. Expect Friday night's matchup to be one of, if not the most, important games of Nebraska's tenure under the current regime. Their season won't end with a loss, but suffering a defeat prematurely would dampen excitement heading into the NCAA Tournament the following week.

Ultimately, the Huskers have a ton going for them at this time, and they will be expected, seeding-wise, to see No. 1 Michigan in the Big Ten tournament's championship game on Sunday afternoon. Even finding themselves in the game would be considered a resounding success, regardless of who they play to get there. Even so, they'll have a formidable test to earn the right to do just that.

Men's Week 18 AP Top 25

Duke
Arizona
Michigan
Florida
Houston
UConn
Iowa State
Michigan State
Illinois
Virginia
Nebraska
Gonzaga
St. John's
Kansas
Alabama
Texas Tech
Arkansas
Purdue
North Carolina
Miami (OH)
Saint Mary’s
Vanderbilt
Wisconsin
Louisville
Tennessee

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 Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
Dec. 21 Nebraska 78, North Dakota 55
Dec. 30 Nebraska 86, New Hampshire 55
Jan. 2 Nebraska 58, Michigan State 56
Jan. 5 Nebraska 72, Ohio State 69
Jan. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77
Jan. 13 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55
Jan. 17 Nebraska 77, Northwestern 58
Jan. 21 Nebraska 76, Washington 66
Jan. 24 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57
Jan. 27 Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
Feb. 1 Illinois 78, Nebraska 69
Feb. 7 Nebraska 80, Rutgers 68
Feb. 10 Purdue 80, Nebraska 77
Feb. 14 Nebraska 68, Northwestern 49
Feb. 17 Iowa 57, Nebraska 52
Feb. 21 Nebraska 87, Penn State 64
Feb. 25 Nebraska 74, Maryland 61
Feb. 28 Nebraska 82, USC 67
March 3 UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
March 8 Iowa 4 p.m. FOX
March 10-15 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago

Home games are bolded. All times central.