Pryce Sandfort Finding Consistency with Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska Basketball

Pryce Sandfort was ready to put his trust in Nebraska basketball coach Fred Hoiberg prior to ever arriving on campus.

Before arriving in Lincoln via the transfer portal in April, Pryce was a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes program with his brother, Payton, for two seasons. The four-star recruit out of Waukee, Iowa, had significant interest from Nebraska in his first high school recruitment, then Nebraska doubled down on Sandfort's availability when the former Hawkeye entered the portal. Now, Sandfort is reaping the reward of the trust - and talented schematics - he placed in his coach.

"Everybody sees how many open looks I get. Then you go back and watch the film and it's like, 'Wow. This is an incredible set or incredible action (Hoiberg) is running to get me open," Sandfort said during Tuesday's Sports Nightly episode on the Huskers Radio Network. "He really knows what he's doing. That was a big part of my decision is I knew how good of a basketball mind he had."

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg high fives forward Pryce Sandfort (21). — Dec 7, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg high fives forward Pryce Sandfort as he is substituted out during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Sandfort's numbers speak for themselves. The junior forward is on pace to crush his previous career-highs in points per game, cruising to nearly 16 per contest for the Huskers. Likewise, Sandfort has sunk nearly the same number of field goals this season as he did in his two seasons at Iowa in a reserve role. The former Hawkeye had a career-high 32 points at Illinois in Nebraska's 83-80 road win back on Dec. 13, and added 13 and 11 points, respectively, in critical Big Ten victories over Michigan State and at Ohio State this past weekend.

"It is a big credit to my teammates for finding me open in those situations and going to screen," Sandfort said Tuesday. "Rienk (Mast) is one of the best screeners I've played with... He's not going to shy away from contact."

Despite not playing as a Husker for his full three-year college career so far, Sandfort has felt comfortable at Pinnacle Bank Arena in his playing time at the home of Nebraska basketball. The wing is averaging nearly 15 points per game at home, nearly matching his 16-point output in the Hawkeyes regular-season finale for the 2025 season at Nebraska. The Iowa native has learned to appreciate the home court atmosphere, despite first learning the environment as a foe.

Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort makes a shot against Creighton. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

"I think it is the best fan base in college basketball," Sandfort said. "It is an incredible fan base and the amount of support they've showed us and show me, it is amazing."

Sandfort's high-scoring ability was stunted against Michigan State, as the wing fouled out after dealing with foul trouble throughout the contest. Even when spending more time on the bench against the Spartans, the regular Husker starter knows that he carries a burden to lift Nebraska when scoring is needed.

"Its something I've been preparing for in the offseason a lot. When I was being recruited here, they told me I was going to have to be that guy and be consistent. That's something I've worked on really hard," Sandfort said. "I'm still working on being more consistent as a shooter and consistent as a player."

Jan 2, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) celebrates with fans after defeating the Michigan State Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Sandfort has also recognized that his role does not have to go on by himself, as redshirt freshman Braden Frager has stepped up in critical moments in the past two outings. The Lincoln native added nine points in the win over No. 9 Michigan State, then provided 15 points in the road win at Ohio State Monday.

"He's been amazing. He's made some big plays for us... Really willed us to the win there at the end. He's been amazing, and he's going to continue to get better," Sandfort said.

Sandfort and the Huskers will continue their unbeaten march to Saturday, when No. 10 Nebraska visits Indiana for an 11 a.m. tipoff in Bloomington.

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