No. 7 Nebrasketball Tops Washington as Braden Frager Suffers Injury

LINCOLN—Nebrasketball is still perfect.

Despite battling a team with more size inside and having elite sixth man Braden Frager for just four minutes, No. 7 Nebraska handled Washington at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Wednesday, 76-66. The Huskers improve to 19-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Huskies fall to 10-9 on the year and 2-6 in the league.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg drives to the hoop against Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

With Purdue's loss on Tuesday, Nebraska is alone atop the Big Ten Standings. The Boilermakers, along with Illinois, Michigan, and Michigan State, are 7-1 in league play.

Nebraska began to take control of the contest about five minutes in. Tie 8-8, the Huskers took off on a 9-2 run. That gave the Big Red a lead that would never be relinquished, but in that stretch, Frager left with an injury to his ankle or foot.

Looks like a left ankle for Braden Frager. pic.twitter.com/hleFNqzkT9
— Steve Marik (@Steve_Marik) January 22, 2026

Frager went to the locker room and did not return as his teammates stretched the lead to 13 points at halftime. Out of the break, Frager returned to the bench in street clothes and a boot on his left foot.

Meanwhile, on the floor, Nebraska fought off a physical Washington team, leading by as many as 18 points before the 10-point final difference.

After the game, Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg told the Huskers Radio Network that the severity of Frager's injury is unknown right now.

"We'll have a better idea of how Braden's doing tomorrow," Hoiberg. "He twisted it pretty good. Don't want to overreact right now. He said he's going to be back. We'll get a better idea tomorrow. He's going to miss a little bit of time; there's no doubt about that."

Connor Essegian and Braden Frager praying during the U16 timeout.

Frager left the game after getting injured in the first half. He returned after halftime in street clothes and a boot. pic.twitter.com/FwvguLr2qt
— Kaleb Henry (@iKalebHenry) January 22, 2026

Nebraska shot 50.9% for the game, including 11-of-29 on three pointers. Washington made 44.3% of its shots, making 6-of-21 from deep.

Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 23 points, notching four made three-pointers. He's now made at least three triples in seven straight games.

Sam Hoiberg (14 points) and Rienk Mast (12 points) also scored in double figures. Hoiberg and Berke Buyuktuncel led the Huskers with seven rebounds each.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort shoots a three-point basket against Washington Huskies forward Bryson Tucker. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska goes on the road Saturday to face Minnesota. Tip from Minneapolis is set for 11 a.m. CST. The game will be televised on FS1.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes

With the win, Nebraska improved to 19-0 to continue the best start in program history. The Huskers also extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 23 consecutive games, which is also a school record.
Nebraska is now 8-0 in Big Ten play, its best conference start since the 1965-66 team went 10-0 to begin Big Ten play.
With the 10-point win, the Huskers have now posted 11 double-digit victories this season, including nine double-digit wins in 12 home games.
Nebraska shot 50.9 percent from the field, the third consecutive game the Huskers have shot better than 50 percent. The streak of three consecutive Big Ten games shooting 50 percent or better ties is the longest since a four-game Big Ten streak in 2015-16
Pryce Sandfort scored a game-high 23 points, his third consecutive game with 20 or more points. Sandfort has eight 20-point efforts this season and nine in his career.
Sandfort was 4-of-7 from the 3-point line, and he has now made 16-of-28 3-pointers over the last three games (57.1 percent).
Sam Hoiberg scored 14 points, the second-highest total of his career in a Big Ten Conference game, one shy of the 15 points he scored at Maryland in 2023.
Hoiberg tied for the team lead with seven rebounds, marking the fourth time in the past seven games he has led the Huskers in rebounding. Hoiberg also tied for the team lead with four assists, the sixth consecutive game he has led Nebraska in assists.
Nebraska has 18 assists and just eight turnovers, the fourth straight game with eight or fewer assists.

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 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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