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Preview: Wisconsin Badgers know No.23 Nebraska will shoot threes but tipping point is closer to the basket

Wisconsin Badgers look for their first true road win of the season when it travels to Lincoln to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers
Benjamin Worgull|
Nov 27, 2025; San Diego, CA, USA; Providence Friars forward Jamier Jones (5) shoots the ball against Wisconsin Badgers forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (32) during the first half at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
Nov 27, 2025; San Diego, CA, USA; Providence Friars forward Jamier Jones (5) shoots the ball against Wisconsin Badgers forward Aleksas Bieliauskas (32) during the first half at Jenny Craig Pavilion. | Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin men’s basketball jumps backs into conference play with its first true road game of the season, playing No.23 Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln tonight. The Huskers have the longest winning streak in the nation at 13 games, while Wisconsin has one of the best scoring backcourts in the country.

Here is a look at both teams and a prediction for tonight's contest.

Wisconsin (7-2, 1-0 Big Ten) vs. No.23 Nebraska (9-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

Date/Time – Wednesday, December 10, 8:05 p.m.
Arena – Pinnacle Bank Arena
TV – Big Ten Network (Jeff Levering and Shon Morris)
Radio – Badgers Radio Network (Matt Lepay and Brian Butch)
Coaches - Greg Gard at Wisconsin (220-119 in his 11th season). Fred Hoiberg at Nebraska (93-108 in his 7th season with the Huskers; 208-164 in his 12th season overall)
Series – Wisconsin leads 23-17, but trails 10-9 in Lincoln
Point Spread – Nebraska -1.5

Wisconsin probable starters

2 Nick Boyd (6-3 Senior Guard, 20.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.3 apg)
7 Andrew Rohde (6-6 Senior Guard, 7.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.5 apg)
25 John Blackwell (6-4 Junior Guard, 21.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.7 apg)
31 Nolan Winter (6-11 Junior Forward, 13.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 apg)
32 Aleksas Bieliauskas (6-10 Freshman Forward, 3.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.6 apg)
Off the bench
0 Braeden Carrington (6-5 Senior Guard, 5.3 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.1 apg)
5 Jack Janicki (6-5 Sophomore Guard, 3.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.8 apg)
22 Austin Rapp (6-10 Sophomore Forward, 10.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.1 apg)
23 Will Garlock (7-0 Freshman Center, 0.7 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 1.6 apg)
Player to watch
Winter had 13 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's win against Marquette for his Big Ten leading fifth double-double of the year. Winter entered the season with three career double-doubles. UW is 20-4 in games where he's scored in double figures.

Nebraska probable starters

1 Sam Hoiberg (6-0 Senior Guard, 7.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 4.0 apg)
9 Berke Buyuktuncel (6-10 Sophomore Forward, 7.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 apg)
10 Jamarques Lawrence (6-3 Senior Guard, 9.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.6 apg)
21 Pryce Sandfort (6-7 Junior Forward, 15.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 apg)
51 Rienk Mast (6-10 Senior Forward, 18.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.2 apg)
Off the bench
5 Braden Frager (6-7 Freshman Forward, 11.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.7 apg)
31 Cale Jacobsen (6-4 Junior Guard, 5.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.7 apg)
13 Royce Parham (6-8 Sophomore Foward, 7.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 0.8 apg)
Player to watch
Finishing with 20 points, five boards and two assists in the 71-50 win over Creighton, Mast has reached double figures seven times in NU's nine games, including four 20-point efforts. He is shooting 55 percent overall and 45 percent from three.

Series notes

UW has won 9 of the last 12 vs. Nebraska but the two teams have split the last six meetings.

In the 24 games since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the Huskers have averaged 61.0 points per game against the Badgers.

In the last 10 meetings with the Huskers, the Badgers are averaging 11.4 made 3FGs per game on 38.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Over the last 10 meetings, UW has posted six games with double-digit 3FGs, including 18 and 15 in a pair of 2019-20 meetings. Lasts season UW hit 17 treys against the Huskers.

Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, Wisconsin is 9-0 against the Huskers when shooting 45.0 percent or better from the field.

Wisconsin notes

Under Gard, the Badgers are 19-0 all time when they score 90+ points, including a 5-0 record this season.

The Badgers have scored double-digit fast break points for six-straight games. UW averages 15.2 fast break points per game, which ranks third in the Big Ten this season. Last year UW averaged 7.14 fast break points per contest.

Blackwell is the only player in the Big Ten Conference to record multiple 30+ point games this season and is one of 11 players in the country to do so.

Boyd ranks second in the conference in scoring while his 7.3 field goals per game leads the conference.

Rohde enjoyed his best game as a Badger vs. Marquette on Saturday, scoring a season-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Rohde went 3-for-5 from long range, connecting on his most triples in a Wisconsin uniform.

Nebraska notes

The Huskers are looking to match their best start in school history, as NU opened the 1977-78 season with 10 straight wins. In addition, NU can also tie the school mark for the longest win streak in school history with a win.

Nebraska enters Wednesday's game with Wisconsin ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 30th nationally with 18.6 assists per game. It is an increase of 4.4 assists per game from last season. NU has averaged 20 assists only two times in school history (1990-91 and 1984-85).

NU's team 1.82-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 17th nationally entering as of Dec. 8. It is on track to be NU's best total in Fred Hoiberg's seven seasons.

Nebraska is 43-14 (.754) over the past three-plus seasons when Sam Hoiberg plays at least 20 minutes. The senior is setting career bests in nearly every category, including scoring (7.8 ppg), rebounding (4.9 rpg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.0 spg).

Nebraska's bench is averaging 24.8 ppg through the first nine contests.

Prediction

Perimeter shots should be flying in "The Bank" tonight.

The Badgers and Huskers are two of the conference's top three-point shooting teams. Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game at 11.3, while the Huskers are second with 11.1 3-pointers per game. Both programs rank in the top 20 nationally in that area and each squad has made double-digit threes in six games, having a 6-0 record in those games.

But while both schools have sharpshooters, one of the keys tonight will be how Wisconsin handles the low-post presence of Nebraska, who's top three scorers are all forwards.

Frager has been one of the top freshmen and reserves off the bench in the Big Ten, ranking seventh among conference freshman in scoring despite starting one game. Sandfort - an Iowa transfer - has four games of at least 20 points after doing it once in two seasons with the Hawkeyes.

However, the focal point is Mast, one of 23 players nationally - and nine from power conference teams - averaging at least 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game entering as of Dec. 8. With 28 career double-doubles, Mast's presence in the post is a reason the Huskers are 18th nationally in two-point field goal percentage (61.3 percent).

"You have somebody like that back that's old and experienced, and now healthy, they've centered what they do offensively around him, spreading the floor," Gard said Tuesday. "They have good players around him that understand their role and read cuts off of him.

"He presents a lot of problems just because of his ability to pass. They wrap off of him. He gets guys cutting to the rim. He gets guys going back door. Obviously, his ability to shoot the ball from three, and then he will straight line drive, even though you can work him in the post a little bit, too. He's a consummate worker, and he reminds me a little bit of Nick Martinelli, but bigger, just physical, old school, gristled vet."

Winter has gone against this kind of player on a nightly basis through two Big Ten seasons but Rapp and Bieliauskas haven't, which makes their ability to match the physicality imperative. Rapp has struggled with playing physical around the rim since coming from the WCC, even losing his starting job in the last two games in favor of the freshman.

Bieliauskas has added a spark and recorded his first double-double of his career against Marquette. Both will be asked to deliver in one of the toughest venues they've played in.

UW also needs to stifle Nebraska's momentum, especially out of the gate. NU has had 11 double-digit scoring runs this season, including a 13-0 run at the start against Creighton that set the tone for the rest of the game.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg admitted that the Huskers had worked on the starts in the days leading into the game, which also paid off with a 9-3 run to start the second half. If UW doesn't get its footing in the first 10 possessions of each half, it could be a long night.

Winning anywhere in the Big Ten is going to be tough, and I think the environment and the matchup problems the Huskers possess will give them an edge tonight.

Prediction: Nebraska by seven
Worgull's Prediction: 8-1 (4-5 ATS)
Points off Prediction: 87 (9.7 ppg)

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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