No. 13 Nebraska will try to put the finishing touches on a perfect nonconference slate when it hosts New Hampshire on Tuesday in Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers (12-0) are off to their best start in school history, and their 16-game win streak dating back to last season is also the longest in program history. The No. 13 ranking is their highest since reaching No. 11 in 1991.
The most recent game for Nebraska, on Dec. 21, saw Berke Buyuktuncel post his first career triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 78-55 win over North Dakota.
Buyuktuncel joins Rienk Mast as Cornhuskers with triple-doubles this season.
New Hampshire (4-8) also last played on Dec. 21, losing 93-79 at Saint Louis. The Wildcats have only two wins over Division I opponents but those came this month in back-to-back games, beating Boston University and Stonehill.
Nebraska has won 21 consecutive nonconference games, including the last 14 at home, but has gotten off to some slow starts. North Dakota led 13-4 just seven minutes into the game and had a two-point halftime lead. Nebraska also trailed Winthrop early in the second half on Nov. 25.
“This is always a tricky one, but proud of how the guys responded in the second half,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said of the win before the Christmas break. “Our energy was better defensively and that’s just how this game works a lot of times when the balls not going in. It affects your defensive energy. We were not getting deflections in the first half and everything picked up there in the second.”
New Hampshire is in its third season under coach Nathan Davis. The team won 16 games his first year in 2023-24, but was just 8-24 last season. The top five scorers on this season’s team are new to the program.
“We’re a lot closer to where I want to be, and the type of team I want to be, and the way we want to play,” Davis said of his roster.
Mast leads Nebraska with averages of 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds, while junior Pryce Sandfort is scoring 16.3 points. The Cornhuskers are shooting 48.2% as a team, while their defense that has shined.
Opponents are scoring 67.2 points on 38.0% percent shooting, while allowing 40% in just three games.
New Hampshire, which has three players scoring in double figures but none with more than 12.1 per game, has struggled on offense. The Wildcats are shooting 41% from the floor and 30.9% from 3-point range.
Nebraska is shooting 34.9 percent from the perimeter but still gets it done from deep. Mast and Jamarques Lawrence are both shooting better than 40%, with Sam Hoiberg at 39.1% and Sandfort at 38.3%.
The Cornhuskers have drained at least 10 triples in eight games, nailing 17 on 34 attempts against Florida International on Nov. 8.
