Nebraska’s Braden Frager (5) Drives Past Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli (2) for a layup. (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
Huskers outsmart Wildcats, continuing their historic unbeaten season amidst national praise.
EVANSTON, Ill. — Nebraska basketball continues to look every bit the part of a top-10 team.
Behind a dominant second half fueled by rebounding, turnovers and balanced scoring, No. 8 Nebraska pulled away from Northwestern for a 77–58 road win Saturday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The victory keeps the Huskers unbeaten at 18–0 overall and 7–0 in Big Ten play.
Nebraska outscored the Wildcats 43–29 after halftime, flipping a tight first half into a comfortable win by doing exactly what head coach Fred Hoiberg challenged his team to do in the locker room.
“That was my message to them at halftime,” Hoiberg said. “If we can come out and take care of the glass — they were up eight [rebounds] at halftime — if we could flip that in the second half, I thought we’d have a really good chance to win the game…and that’s what we did.”
The Huskers turned defense into offense in the second half, forcing Northwestern into hurried possessions and capitalizing in transition. Nebraska finished with 15 fast-break points and outscored the Wildcats 12–5 in points off turnovers, a key swing that helped the visitors create separation.
“We’re so much more effective and efficient when we can get that ball off the rim and force a turnover,” Hoiberg said. “Turning them over in the second half got us going a little bit.”
Offensively, Nebraska shot 56 percent from the field and 6-of-11 from three in the second half, stretching a five-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage midway through the period. Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 22 points, knocking down five three-pointers and scoring 13 after the break. Braden Frager added 20 points and four rebounds, while Sam Hoiberg chipped in 12 points, seven rebounds and steady energy on both ends.
Hoiberg’s impact went beyond the box score, particularly on the glass. Despite standing well under the size of Northwestern’s frontcourt, he continues to be one of Nebraska’s most reliable rebounders.
“He’s our leading defensive rebounder to this point in the season,” Fred Hoiberg said. “If he was 6’8”, he’d be Dennis Rodman. He finds a way to make an impact, even though he’s not the biggest guy out there. He plays with a ton of heart.”
Nebraska’s depth again proved decisive. The Huskers received contributions from every player who saw the floor, scoring 22 bench points and maintaining intensity throughout the game.
“You look across the board — everybody that stepped on the floor made a huge contribution in that win,” Hoiberg said. “And to me, that’s what it’s all about.”
Northwestern was led by Nick Martinelli’s 22 points, but the Wildcats struggled to generate consistent offense as Nebraska’s defense tightened. Northwestern shot just 42.6 percent for the game and was held to 29 points in the second half.
Even on the road, Nebraska enjoyed significant support from the stands, something both teams noticed.
“It was amazing,” Hoiberg said. “It means a ton to our staff, our team, our program when you can have that kind of support on the road.”
Forward Berke Buyuktuncel echoed the sentiment.
“I loved it,” Buyuktuncel said. “I cannot thank them enough for their appearance at the game. We felt like we were at home. It was exciting.”
Northwestern head coach Chris Collins offered high praise for the Huskers afterward, pointing to the collective approach that has fueled Nebraska’s perfect start.
“I admire the way they play,” Collins said. “They have a bunch of guys that are just a collection of their parts. It’s really refreshing to watch. The purity, the joy, the toughness they play with — you saw first hand today, it’s why they’re 18-0.”
Nebraska will look to keep that momentum rolling as conference play continues, carrying both confidence and cohesion into the heart of the Big Ten schedule – potentially as a Top 5 team.