No. 7 Nebraska men’s basketball begins a two-game road trip with an 11 a.m. CT tipoff Saturday at Minnesota.
The Huskers will look to extend their program record winning streak to start a season (19) and the nation’s longest winning streak (23) when they face the Golden Gophers.
Big Ten Network will televise the game with Cory Provus and Phil Martelli on the call.
Nebraska has a .772 (7-2) winning percentage in its last nine Big Ten road games dating back to last season, and the Huskers have also won their last 11 games away from Lincoln, since March 31, 2025.
The Gophers are just 3-5 in Big Ten play this season and 10-9 overall under Niko Medved in his first season at Minnesota.
The Saturday matchup will be the 88th meeting between the two programs, the most between the Huskers and any other Big Ten program. The Gophers lead the all-time series 60-27, with Nebraska winning 12 of the last 20 matchups and the home team winning 17 of the last 20 dating back to 2012. Minnesota is 24-6 against Nebraska at Williams Arena, where Saturday’s game will be played.
Playing Shorthanded
Nebraska freshman Braden Frager’s ankle injury is the obvious concern for the Huskers. Sources confirmed it is a sprained ankle and he is day-to-day. With the injury happening on Wednesday, it is unlikely he will be available for Saturday morning’s tip.
That means the bench rotation will likely be down to two solid contributors, Cale Jacobsen and Jared Garcia.
“I just told the guys in the locker room everybody’s got to be ready,” Hoiberg said after Wednesday’s win over Washington. “Braden’s given us a lot, obviously, this season, on both ends of the floor. Everybody’s got to be ready to step up in his absence and contribute.”
Garcia’s role could be increased. The senior transfer from Tulsa comes into the game averaging eight minutes per game after his 11 minutes on Wednesday, in which he scored five points and grabbed five rebounds.
“It’s good to see Jared knock down that 3 in the first half,” Hoiberg said. “I thought he had a good post move and got to his jump hook there in the middle of the second, and got a couple of good rebounds for us as well. Obviously, his role will change a little bit moving forward here.”
Both teams are likely to have seven-man rotations, with Minnesota dealing with multiple season-ending injuries.
The Gophers lost starting center Robert Vaihola to a season ending knee injury in November. Senior guard Chancey Willis Jr., an opening-game starter, is also out for the remainder of the season.
That has left two freshmen, Grayson Grove (redshirt) and Kai Shinholster, as the bench options.
“They’re fighting, we’re playing with seven guys,” Gophers coach Niko Medved said after the loss at Ohio State. “Two freshmen off the bench who maybe wouldn’t be in the rotation had we not had the injuries.”
Despite the injuries, the Gophers have had a chance to win games they have lost, including the overtime loss at Ohio State on Tuesday.
“I’m just not into moral victories,” Medved said. “That’s not what we’re here for.”
Scouting Minnesota
According to KenPom, the Gophers have the nation’s best assist-to-field goals rate (73.8%) and are fourth in the Big Ten with 18.4 assists per game.
North Carolina — and previously Belmont — transfer Cade Tyson leads the way for the Golden Gophers. The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging a team-best 20.5 points per game on 50% shooting.
Tyson, sophomore guard Isaac Asuma and Colorado State transfer Jaylen Crocker-Johnson are the three constants in the Gopher lineup, starting all 19 games.
Crocker-Johnson is averaging 14.2 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds, while Asuma is contributing 10.6 points, 4.3 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Keys To the Game
Similar to Washington, the Gophers are not a strong 3-point shooting team. They are 227th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (32.8%). The Huskers’ 35.6% mark from 3-point range ranks 79th in the country. The first key is limiting the Gophers to under 32% from 3 and taking and making 3s of their own. Defensively, Minnesota ranks 163rd nationally in 3-point percentage allowed (33.6%).
The second key is trying to speed up Minnesota’s offensive pace. The Gophers are near the bottom (353rd) in adjusted tempo rate (63.3). Getting off to a fast start and a lead will be important for Nebraska. Look for the Huskers to use their smart pace and win the fast-break points category.
The Huskers will need to try and force turnovers or bad decisions from Minnesota in the halfcourt. You could maybe see a little quarter-court pressure in this game from the Huskers, something they have not shown a lot throughout the season. The Gophers are 214th nationally in non-steal turnover rate (7.8%), which means they are susceptible to making poor decisions offensively when sped up.
The fourth and final key is to play defense without fouling. Tyson has a unique ability to get to the free-throw line. He is 88th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (6.8) while shooting 80.6% from the charity stripe.
