Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort (21) celebrates in front of Creighton’s Jasen Green (0). (Courtesy: Nebraska Athletics)
Huskers Dominate Rival Creighton Behind Relentless Defense and Energized Crowd
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska didn’t just beat Creighton on Sunday afternoon at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers smothered the Bluejays from the opening tip, fed off a roaring home crowd, and delivered one of the program’s most complete performances in years in a 71–50 victory.
The tone was set immediately by Nebraska’s defense. Sam Hoiberg, who once again played a key role in the Huskers’ backcourt, said the game plan was simple — and ruthlessly executed.
“We always talk about holding them under seven points every media [timeout] — in the first two medias, they had two and zero,” Hoiberg said. “That gives you time if you’re not hitting shots early to get it going and we kept that defense up the whole game.”
The Huskers did exactly that, frustrating Creighton’s perimeter threats, cleaning up the glass, and denying rhythm on nearly every possession. While Nebraska’s offense took a few minutes to warm up, the defensive pressure gave the Huskers the luxury of patience. Eventually, the shots followed.
A centerpiece of that defensive identity again was forward Berke Buyuktuncel, whose shooting slump has been a storyline in recent weeks. But inside the locker room, his impact has never been questioned.
“He’s so effective defensively and a great rebounder,” Sam Hoiberg said. “He doesn’t have a ton of confidence shooting the ball right now… we probably have more confidence in him than he does in himself. The way he plays defense — he really is one of our anchors on that end and is so important to us.”
Fred Hoiberg echoed the sentiment, remaining confident that the offensive side of Berke’s game will catch up.
“I promise you guys — Berke is gonna hit some shots,” the Nebraska coach said. “He’s shooting it too well in practice, he’s putting a lot of extra work into it. When he starts making shots, that’s gonna open up a lot for our team.”
If Nebraska needed fuel to sustain its defensive intensity, the atmosphere inside PBA provided it. Players and coaches alike described the environment as one of the most electric in recent memory.
“I thought the atmosphere was unbelievable,” Fred Hoiberg said. “It’s what we need. Our students were unbelievable.”
Pryce Sandfort agreed.
“I gotta give a big shoutout to our fans, it was an absolutely unbelievable environment,” he said. “Super fun to play in. I don’t think people realize how big that is for us.”
Creighton coach Greg McDermott, while disappointed in his team’s performance, credited Nebraska’s toughness and especially its role players.
“I think their role players are really champions in their role,” McDermott said. “Sam Hoiberg was the difference in the game today. Sam doesn’t care if he scores. Sam doesn’t care if he gets an assist. Sam just wants to win. I think Cale Jacobsen falls in that same boat. They just do whatever their team needs them to do — it’s not about them.”
The win marks another marquee moment in what has become a strong early stretch for the Huskers, who continue to build a résumé that increasingly demands national attention. But Fred Hoiberg was quick to ensure the celebration didn’t linger too long.
“We knew this was an important game for us, but it doesn’t matter anymore,” he said. “We need to move on and focus on Wisconsin now.”
If Sunday’s performance was any indication, Nebraska is heading into conference play with confidence, momentum, and an identity built on togetherness, defense, and a fan base that’s creating one of the toughest environments in college basketball.