Nebraska guard Pryce Sandfort (21) celebrates with Sam Hoiberg (1) after making a shot against Oregon. (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
Relentless Defense and Transition Offense Fuel Huskers’ Most Complete Performance of the Season
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska’s best basketball came in waves Tuesday night — and Oregon had no answers for any of them.
No. 8 Nebraska overwhelmed the Ducks 90–55 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, turning a competitive first half into a rout with relentless defense, rapid-fire transition offense and one of its most complete performances of the season.
The Huskers led 42–30 at halftime, then buried Oregon with a dominant second half that showcased exactly how dangerous Nebraska can be when its pace and pressure are locked in.
“We started to be more physical defensively and we were really getting buckets in transition,” Pryce Sandfort said. “Getting the ball up the court quick and our offensive flow really started to get in a groove.”
That groove never stopped.
After the teams were tied 28–28 with just under three minutes left in the first half, Nebraska closed the period on a decisive run, flipping the game’s momentum and setting the tone for the blowout that followed.
“That’s the power of finishing a half in the right way and getting the momentum,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “It was 28–28 with about three minutes to go and we end up with a double-digit lead going into halftime.”
Nebraska opened the second half by pushing the pace even harder, forcing Oregon into rushed decisions and converting turnovers into immediate offense. The Huskers finished with 20 assists against just six turnovers, recorded 11 steals and scored 24 points off Oregon miscues.
“I think Sam had five steals at halftime,” Hoiberg said. “You look at our numbers — I love the 20 assists, six turnovers; the 11 steals, scoring 24 points off of turnovers. I just thought we did a lot of really good things out there tonight.”
Sam Hoiberg’s defensive activity keyed the effort, but Nebraska’s offensive balance made the margin balloon quickly. Sandfort poured in a game-high 28 points on 9-of-15 shooting, drilling seven 3-pointers and erupting once he found his rhythm.
“Once I hit a couple, I really start to hunt it and the hoop turns into an ocean,” Sandfort said.
Braden Frager added 23 points of his own, knocking down seven 3-pointers and thriving in space as Nebraska relentlessly attacked before Oregon could get set. The Huskers knew transition opportunities would be there — and they never stopped pushing.
“We kinda knew we could attack that,” Frager said. “We were getting easy open looks in transition, so we kept attacking that. Jamarques obviously was the head of that, bringing it up with pace — he opened up a lot of things.”
Hoiberg singled out Frager’s growth afterward, particularly his willingness to trust his shot.
“I told Frager in the first half to ‘shoot the damn ball,’” Hoiberg said. “It was good to see Braden get it going to extend the lead up into the 30s. I need him to be a great catch-and-shoot player, and he was that today.”
Nebraska’s lead swelled to as many as 39 points in the second half, a product not just of shooting but sustained focus — something Hoiberg said has been a point of emphasis.
“The thing that I’m most proud of is how our guys kept their foot on the gas,” Hoiberg said. “For the first time, we just continued to push and keep our pace and find the right guys and finish it.”
Oregon head coach Dana Altman credited Nebraska’s defense for setting the tone — and didn’t mince words about his own team’s showing.
“Nebraska’s activity is really good; defensively, they’re really solid,” Altman said. “They’re really connected offensively and defensively.”
Altman later added, “It’s an embarrassment for our program… We got our ass kicked.”
For Nebraska, the performance served as a statement. When the Huskers defend, share the ball and run, they don’t just win — they overwhelm. And Tuesday night, they did it from start to finish.