No. 5 Nebraska faces monumental challenge with two top-10 matchups

Nebraska has done everything anyone could have asked through 20 games, an unbeaten start that includes wins at ninth-ranked Illinois and a thrilling home victory over seventh-ranked Michigan State.

Now, there is a whole lot more being asked of the Cornhuskers.

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They take their 24-game win streak dating to last season into a trip to No. 3 Michigan, the first top-10 matchup that involves Nebraska since 1966, and its first game ever showcasing two teams ranked in the top five. Then, the Huskers get to return home for a rematch with the Fighting Illini, making it two top-10 matchups in a week.

“We have an unbelievable opportunity in front of us against what I think is arguably the best team in the country,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said of the Wolverines. “It’s going to take a monumental effort, but again, I believe in these guys.”

Hoiberg said he asked his players in the locker room after a win over Minnesota whether they were satisfied.

“To a man,” Hoiberg continued, “they said, ‘No.’”

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These are heady times in Nebraska, as Dana Altman well knows. He spent the better part of two decades down the road at Creighton, where he went 10-7 against the Huskers; he is 0-2 against them as the head coach at now-Big Ten rival Oregon.

“They’re really good,” said Altman, whose team endured a 90-55 beatdown on Jan. 13. “They’re really connected offensively and defensively. Defensively, really impressed. I think KenPom has them 15th analytically, and I think that’s a big difference from some of their previous teams, and I think it’s something that will carry them. When we’ve had some success, either in the season or the tournament, defense is such a big part of it because you’re not going to shoot it well every night.”

Indeed, the Huskers have had moments when they haven’t looked good. They trailed Minnesota by six at halftime, when shots didn’t seem to be falling. But then Nebraska outscored the Gophers 46-21 over the final…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/no-5-nebraska-faces-monumental-164611327.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-27 16:46:00

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