Top-15 Battle Features Massive Comeback, Overtime Before Purdue Tops Nebrasketball

LINCOLN — Nebrasketball has lost for a third time in the last four games, all to top-15 teams.

No. 13 Purdue led by as many as 22 points but had to hold on in overtime to upend No. 9 Nebraska, 80-77. The Boilermakers improved to 20-4 on the year and 10-3 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Huskers fell to 21-3 overall and 10-3 in the league.

The Game
The Stats
What's Next
Big Ten Standings
The Tournament Picture
Video Analysis
Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes
Nebraska Men's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule
More From Nebraska On SI

The Game

The first half was all Purdue from start to finish.

The Boilermakers blitzed the Huskers to a 14-1 lead, prompting the first Fred Hoiberg timeout of the half. Nebraska finally made its first shot at 15:42 on a Braden Frager layup.

Back-to-back three-pointers from Rienk Mast cut the deficit back to single digits. That's where it was after a Frager triple at the 9:05 mark.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

But the Huskers then went ice cold again, not making a shot for the next 6:24 of action. The Boilermakers pushed their lead back to double digits and went into halftime up 40-24.

In the middle of that cold stretch, Nebraska called two timeouts within 11 seconds of each other. Hoiberg called one at 6:36 to send the game to the under-8 media timeout. Mast then called one as he was falling out of bounds, leaving NU with one remaining for the final 26:25 of regulation.

Besides shooting a better percentage (43.2% to 32.0%), Purdue got 12 more shots than Nebraska in the first half. That was thanks to a rebounding advantage that included nine on the offensive glass. The Boilermakers also only committed four turnovers to seven for the Huskers.

The same staleness that crippled Nebraska through the first half began the second. Back-to-back three-pointers for Purdue pushed the difference to 22 points. It would still be at 20 after another Purdue triple at the 14:02 mark.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager shoots a three-point shot against Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

But then, Nebrasketball seemed to be playing its game for the first time all night.

A pair of Pryce Sandfort free throws began an 18-2 run that included three-pointers made by Sandfort, Cale Jacobson, Sam Hoiberg, and Mast. After an exchange of baskets, the deficit was cut to just four points with 5:20 to play.

Purdue finally got back to scoring and did so with a big swing, posting a 10-0 run to go back up by double digits. Again, though, Nebraska refused to let that be the end of the fight.

The Huskers punched back with the third kill shot* of the half, 10-0, to get back to a four-point game. After Purdue went 1-for-5 on free throws in the final minute, NU had the ball down by two with just 24 seconds to go.

*College basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa classifies a kill shot as any run of at least 10-0.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Jamarques Lawrence shoots a free throw against Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) and guard Fletcher Loyer (2). | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

A Hoiberg miss turned into a Mast rebound and an and-1. Mast missed the free throw to put Nebraska ahead, but Purdue missed the game-winner on the other side, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Purdue got a three-pointer right away. Mast, who had played 34 minutes to this point, fouled out at the 3:55 mark. A made free throw and an exchange of baskets put the Boilermakers up by five points.

But, again, Nebraska's fight showed up. The Huskers ripped off a 7-0 run, with the Sandfort layup giving Nebraska its first lead of the entire game.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg drives against Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

In the final minute, Purdue had another 1-for-2 trip to the free throw line before forcing a Nebraska miss. On the ensuing possession, the Boilermakers turned an offensive rebound into an and-1, taking the lead by one point. The free throw was missed and grabbed by both teams for a jump ball, giving possession to Nebraska.

With under four seconds to go, Hoiberg inbounded the ball to Lawrence, but Lawrence slipped and fell and the ball ended up in the hands of Purdue. Two made free throws were followed by a last-ditch inbounds the length of the floor, caught by a Boilermaker to end the Husker threat.

The Stats

Purdue's poor free throw shooting helped Nebraska's massive comeback. The Boilermakers finished 11-for-20 at the line, going 4-for-10 in the second half and 4-for-7 in overtime. Nebraska, meanwhile, went 13-of-20 on free throws.

The Boilermakers, who started out on fire, finished with 36.8% shooting, including 13-of-46 on three-pointers. The Huskers made 44.1% of their shots, knocking down 12-of-32 from deep.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter reacts during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Purdue had a massive advantage on the glass at halftime and continued that for the other 25 minutes of action. The Boilermakers won the rebounding battle 54-37. They also had 21 offensive boards to Nebraska's six, turning those into a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Two Boilermakers, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff, grabbed double-digit boards, with 19 and 14, respectively. Cluff added 12 points to notch a double-double.

Mast tied Purdue's Fletcher Loyer for the game-high scoring at 18 points.

Lawrence and Sandfort both got into double figures, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively. Lawrence (6-for-9) and Jacobson (2-for-3) were the only Huskers to shoot over 50% in the game.

Box score

What's Next

Nebraska stays home this weekend to host Northwestern for a Valentine's Day affair.

The Wildcats have been one of the bottom-feeders of the league this season, sitting at 10-14 overall and 2-11 in the Big Ten. Their best win was 74-68 at USC last month.

Before Saturday, Northwestern will host No. 2 Michigan on Wednesday. The Wildcats are significantly better at home (7-5) than on the road (2-6), but the Wolverines are a tough task at any venue.

Fred Hoiberg and Nebraska will now look to bounce back from losing 3-of-4. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Northwestern leads the all-time series with Nebraska 13-10. The Huskers, however, have won the last two and three of the last four, including a 77-58 victory in Evanston last season. The Big Red were victorious the last time these two teams met in Lincoln, winning 75-69 back on Jan. 20, 2024.

Saturday's tip from Pinnacle Bank Arena is slated for noon CST. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Big Ten Standings

Nebraska's only losses were also the only teams ahead in the conference standings ahead of them going into Tuesday.

Michigan was in front at 12-1, followed by Illinois (11-2), Nebraska (10-2), and Purdue (9-3). Wisconsin (8-4) is currently playing the Illini, but with the result of the Husker-Boilermaker game, the Boilermakers put themselves into that top group. The Huskers, though not set to see another from that five-some again before the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago, failed to add some much-needed separation for both conference and NCAA Tournament seeding.

Nebraska does not play a team in the top five of the Big Ten standings the rest of the way. Of the seven remaining games, one is against the top third (UCLA, 9-4), two are against the middle third (Iowa, 8-4), and the other four are against the bottom third (USC, 7-6; Maryland, 2-10; Northwestern, 2-11; Penn State, 1-12).

The Tournament Picture

Nebrasketball entered the day as a 2-seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology. As for the metrics, the Huskers were 10th in the Torvik, 12th in the KenPom, and 17th in the BPI. Purdue, on the other hand, was 9th, 10th, and 10th in those same metrics.

The loss will drop Nebraska and be a boost for Purdue. The Huskers are now likely in the range of a 3- or 4-seed as of today, but plenty of basketball remains to be played, and teams ahead of them could suffer losses as Nebraska takes on a schedule that will see it favored in every game except at Iowa City.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast shoots the ball against Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) and guard Braden Smith (3). | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

There is a clear importance for Nebraska to be a 2-seed, or at least ahead of the top teams that would have Oklahoma City and St. Louis as one of their closest tournament sites for the opening weekend of March Madness. Those are the two closest sites for Nebraska, but also potential destinations for top teams like Houston, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa State, and Purdue, among others.

We'll get a clearer picture of how the selection committee views Nebraska when the top 16 are revealed on Feb. 21. This is a week later than normal, and just over three weeks from Selection Sunday.

Nebraska has the Northwestern game and a trip to Iowa before that reveal, which will be the same day as a home contest against Penn State. That game with the Nittany Lions likely won't factor into the committee's preview for the tournament.

Video Analysis

Josh Peterson and Kaleb Henry break down Nebraska's overtime loss to Purdue, including why the start of the game put NU in such a hole that it was incredible they made it as close as they did at the end of the game. They dive into the offensive rebounding edge Purdue had throughout the entire game, including a big advantage early and how they closed in OT.

Plus, they give out the Player of the Game, predict Nebraska's seed in the tourney, and more!

Kaleb Henry has four Quick Kernels from the game.

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

Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes

Nebraska falls to 2-3 against ranked teams this season with tonight’s loss
Tonight was Nebraska’s first overtime game this season and first since a double-overtime loss at Ohio State on March 4 of last year.
This is the second time in the last three meetings in Lincoln that gone to overtime (also in 2022-23).
Nebraska erased a 22-point deficit in the second half to force overtime. Tonight marked the second time in Big Ten play this season that the Huskers erased a second-half deficit of 15 or more points. NU rallied from a 16-point deficit to win at Indiana on Jan. 10.
The Huskers fell to 4-2 in one-possession games this season. Nebraska had been 4-0 in one-possession games before a three-point loss at No. 3 Michigan on Jan. 27 and tonight’s three-point overtime loss to No. 13 Purdue.
Nebraska had 21 assists in the game, its 11th game with 20 or more assists this season.
The Huskers made 12 threes to mark the 10th time this season Nebraska hit 12 or more 3-pointers in a game this season. Nebraska now has 265 3-pointers to rank fourth on NU’s single-season chart.
Rienk Mast had 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds before fouling out in overtime. Mast tied or led Nebraska in each of those categories.
Sam Hoiberg had five assists and one turnover in the game. In five games against ranked teams this season, Hoiberg has recorded 27 assists and only one turnover.
Jamarques Lawrence had 16 points to post his sixth straight game in double figures and 14th double-figure effort of the year. Lawrence’s 16 points were his third-highest output in a Big Ten game this season. Twelve of Lawrence’s 16 points came after halftime.
Pryce Sandfort scored all 15 of his points after halftime.
Purdue shot a school-record 46 3-pointers, which tied the Nebraska opponent record for 3-point attempts in a game and marked the most 3-point attempts a Division I opponent has ever taken against Nebraska.
Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn had 19 rebounds, which tied the Pinnacle Bank Arena record for rebounds in a game. Maryland’s Bruno Fernando also had 19 rebounds against Nebraska on Feb. 6, 2019.
Nebraska tied its season low points in a half with 24 in the first half against Purdue. The Huskers scored 24 in the first half against North Dakota on December 21st.

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 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.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.