Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Cale Jacobsen (31), guard Jamarques Lawrence (10) and forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) react after a dunk by forward Pryce Sandfort (21) during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska sets historic milestone in new AP men’s basketball poll

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jan 26, 2026 8:45 PM ET

The Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team is on a roll.

The Cornhuskers are 20-0, 9-0 in Big Ten play and now ranked No. 5 in the latest AP men's basketball poll.

This is the highest ranking in program history.

The Cornhuskers have had a tough stretch of games, but they've come up big in every single one. This stretch includes wins over No. 13 Illinois and No. 9 Michigan.

Nebraska is averaging 80.9 points per game and holding opponents to 65 points per contest.

The Huskers are extremely efficient. They're averaging just nine turnovers per game, which is fifth best in the nation, and 18.6 assists per game (13th best in college basketball).

Offensively, they're averaging .602% from two-point range (14th best in college basketball) and 30.6% from three-point range (16th best in college football).

Nebraska is being led by junior forward Pryce Sandfort, a former Iowa Hawkeye. He's averaging 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Work to do. pic.twitter.com/1ANrPNHlzV
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) January 26, 2026

Nebraska Cornhuskers entering a massive stretch of games

Fred Hoiberg's team has a massive stretch of games coming up, and this could very well determine whether or not the Cornhuskers are a legitimate national championship contender come March.

On Tuesday, the Huskers travel to Ann Arbor to take on the No. 3-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Michigan is 18-1 and 8-1 in the Big Ten, with its only loss coming against the Wisconsin Badgers.

After Michigan is a rematch with Illinois, now ranked No. 9 in the country, and a game against Rutgers is sandwiched between that contest and a home date with the No. 12 Purdue.

If the Cornhuskers can make it out of this stretch unscathed, one would have to think there's a world in which they could run the table.

As with anything, though, it's one game at a time.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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