The longest winning streak in major college basketball over the past decade came to an end at 24 games on Tuesday night, as No. 5 Nebraska fell 75-72 to No. 3 Michigan.
“To defeat Michigan, you must play nearly flawlessly, but we had a slip at the end,” said Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg.
Nebraska failed to score during the last 3:20, missing their final five attempts, despite leading for much of the game without two key players.
“Hopefully this shows everyone, especially the guys in the locker room, that we can compete against anyone,” Coach Fred Hoiberg stated.
Rienk Mast was sidelined due to illness, while double-digit scorer Braden Frager missed a second consecutive game with an ankle injury.
“It’s unfortunate, but I commend our guys for their resilience throughout the game,” Fred Hoiberg added.
The 24-game winning streak marked an unexpected journey for a school with a relatively modest history in men’s basketball. Nebraska had been the inspiring story of the season before facing a setback at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.
The Cornhuskers last lost during the final regular-season game of the previous year, falling 83-68 to Iowa at home on March 9. The streak began with a sweep through four games to claim the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas last April.
“We haven’t experienced this feeling in quite some time. It’s been nearly a year,” Fred Hoiberg remarked. “This hit them hard. We will soon learn what we’re truly made of.”
Nebraska will have a chance to regroup before taking on No. 9 Illinois at home this Sunday.
With a 20-1 start, this season marks the best in the program’s history, and their No. 5 ranking in this week’s AP Top 25 is the highest the school has attained.
This streak is the longest in Division I basketball since the 2014-15 Kentucky team went 38-0 before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four.
The winning streak captured the interest of college basketball fans since expectations for Nebraska on the court are typically low.
The Huskers remain the only power-conference program that has yet to win an NCAA tournament game, holding an 0-8 record in March Madness. Their most recent regular-season conference title was in 1950, and they finished with a winning conference record in only three of their first 14 seasons in the Big Ten.
Throughout history, the program has produced one consensus All-American—Sam Carrier in 1912-13—and a mere three NBA first-round draft picks, with none since 1998.
The Huskers’ strong start has been a turning point for Fred Hoiberg, who recorded 115 wins at Iowa State over five seasons and led the Cyclones to four NCAA tournaments. Nebraska hired him in 2019, but in his initial three seasons, the Huskers were 24-67 overall and 9-50 in the Big Ten. Since then, they have improved to 80-41 overall and 37-32 in conference play.
During the streak, Nebraska overcame double-digit deficits in five of their victories, including remarkable comebacks from 16 points down against Oklahoma on a neutral court in November and Indiana on the road.
The experienced team is spearheaded by Mast, a seventh-year player who made a comeback from a significant knee injury that kept him sidelined for the entire 2024-25 season.
Pryce Sandfort transferred from Iowa, Jamarques Lawrence returned after one season at Rhode Island, and Berke Buyuktuncel has enhanced his performance while sharing the frontcourt with Mast. Sam Hoiberg, son of the coach and a former walk-on, has become invaluable, contributing across various roles.
One loss doesn’t alter the overall picture.
Fred Hoiberg frequently emphasizes his belief that this team has the potential to achieve something unprecedented at Nebraska. The Huskers secured 11 victories against non-Big Ten opponents, concluding nonconference play undefeated for the first time since the 1928-29 season. Their 9-1 start in conference games marks the best since 1965-66. A league championship is still achievable, alongside the chance to end their long-standing NCAA tournament drought.
