Nebraksa reaches level not seen in Big Ten in 15 years with win over Northwestern

Nebraska is coming off a 77-58 victory over Northwestern, moving to 18-0 on the season. The Cornhuskers already are off to their best start in conference play in 60 years, and now have hit a conference milestone with their 18th straight win to open the season.

Nebraska is the first team in the Big Ten to start the season 18-0 since Ohio State started 24-0 in the 2010-11 campaign, according to ESPN Insights.

This is a massive turnaround for the Cornhuskers. The team won just 17 games in the regular season in 2024-25, finishing the season 21-14 after winning the College Basketball Crown tournament to end the season and picking up four more wins. They won 23 games in the 2023-24 campaign. That has been the high-water mark of the Fred Hoiberg tenure with Nebraska. From 2019-20, the first year of Hoiberg, through 2022-23, the team did not win over 16 games.

If they can continue on this trajectory, the Cornhuskers should be set up for a high seed in the NCAA tournament. The last time Nebraska was higher than an eight seed in the NCAA tournament was in 1993-94, when the team was a six seed and lost in the first round to Penn. The highest seed the team has ever achieved was in 1990-91, when Nebraska earned a three seed in the tournament. That year, they were upset by Xavier in the first round. Nebraska has never won a game in the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, the 2010-11 Ohio State team started 24-0. The win streak would end against a 13th-ranked Wisconsin team on the road. The Buckeyes finished the regular season with just two losses before winning the Big Ten tournament. This would earn them a one seed in the NCAA tournament. After wins over UTSA and George Mason, Ohio State fell in the Sweet Sixteen to Kentucky, 62-60.

Nebraska looks to move to 19-0 as they host Wisconsin on Wednesday night. To tie the 24-0 mark of Ohio State, the Huskers would need to defeat Michigan on the road, plus Illinois and Purdue at home. If they get there, 25-0 could be achieved with another win over Northwestern.

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