Nebraska men’s basketball earns 19th win to continue historic undefeated streak

The Nebraska men’s basketball team cruised to a win Wednesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. The Huskers beat the Washington Huskies 76-66 to extend their historic undefeated season record to 19-0.

The Huskers benefitted from hot shooting in the first-half and tough defense, but a sudden injury could shake up things for the Big Red.

Redshirt freshman Braden Frager bowed out of the first half of the game after an apparent ankle injury. He returned in the second half in street clothes and a boot on one of his legs. Frager is a key player for the team and has been named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week three times. Following the game, Head Coach Fred Hoiberg said he’ll check on Frager’s status in the morning and evaluate his path forward, but he said other teammates were ready to step up to fill Frager’s void.

“This is one of the best teams I've ever had as far as chemistry is concerned,” Hoiberg said. “They just go out and play for each other. They're extremely unselfish. They make the next play. They're really connected on the defensive end. These guys have been an absolute joy to coach. There's no distractions with them, and that's what it's all about. And I'll go to war any day with these guys.”

Hoiberg said the Huskies outworked his team at certain points of the game, but his players found their rhythm to get the win.

“We struggled down the stretch a little bit, but we’ll take it,” Hoiberg said. “This is a great win against a really good team.”

The Big Ten win continues a big season for the Nebraska team, which achieved its highest ranking ever Monday, coming in at No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Huskers’ previous high ranking was No. 8 in February 1966, which lasted only one week. The men’s team is one of three undefeated teams left in Division I.

The Huskers will travel to Minnesota Saturday. After that, the Huskers will face what could be their toughest stretch of the season. In a four-game span, NU will play at No. 3 Michigan on Jan. 27 before returning home to face No. 11 Illinois. After a visit to Rutgers on Feb. 7, the team will face another top 5 opponent, No. 5 Purdue, at home on Feb. 10.