Nebraska men’s basketball has added some postseason accolades to the already impressive 2025-26 season.
The Big Ten Conference announced its annual awards on Tuesday and four Huskers earned all-conference accolades while Fred Hoiberg’s peers voted him conference Coach of the Year.
It is the second Big Ten Coach of the Year Award for Hoiberg; his first was after the 2023-24 season. Nebraska, picked to finish 14th in the preseason media poll, went 15-5 in league play and earned the second seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Overall, the Huskers have already tied the program record for wins in a season, sitting at 26-5 heading into the postseason.
“That’s definitely one of the reasons that this has been so rewarding for me is getting his name back out there as one of the best coaches in the country,” Sam Hoiberg said of his dad and coach. “I fully believed it ever since he started coaching. And then when I got here, I really saw how much of a genius he was.”
Pryce Sandfort (21) celebrates making a three-point basket against the Maryland Terrapins on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by John S. Peterson.
Pryce Sandfort earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and second-team by the conference media.
In conference play, Sandfort led the Huskers in scoring average at 19.4 and added 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 41.8% on 9.5 3-point attempts per game. Overall this season, Sandfort averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 40.1% from deep.
“It’s been an amazing season,” Sandfort said of the recognition. “Honestly, I never knew if I could get to this point in my career, especially throughout my first two years. I really questioned if I could even play at this level, and if I was really meant to be a basketball player. So, obviously, it’s a great honor.”
Sandfort was quick to shift the focus back to the team and what lies ahead, this week’s Big Ten Tournament in Chicago and the NCAA Tournament starting next week.
“We don’t play this game to get those individual awards, especially on this team,” he said. “We play to get those postseason victories and win championships. That’s all we’re focused on now.”
Sam Hoiberg earned honorable mention All-Big Ten from both the coaches and the media, and he also became the first ever Husker to appear on the league’s All-Defensive team. He averaged 9.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting 55.3% from the field including 40.3% from 3 and 74.1% from the free-throw line. His steals average led the Big Ten while his 4.22 assist-to-turnover ratio is third nationally.
“It’s pretty rewarding,” Hoiberg said of the recognition. “I had the goal of making the defensive team even last year, which I didn’t make, obviously, but that was a goal for me.”
Hoiberg was one of five players to make the All-Defensive team, with Michigan center Aday Mara winning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
“I knew I could compete for that, and it’s tough to beat a 7-4 guy for Defensive Player of the Year, so I’m OK with that,” Hoiberg said. “Even getting the honorable mention for All-Big Ten is something that was only in my biggest dream. So being able to kind of be rewarded for that is very satisfying.”
Braden Frager earned the league’s Sixth-Man of the Year award and a spot on the All-Freshman Team. The redshirt freshman averaged 11.7 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 48.9% from the field including 34.8% from 3 and 82.4% from the foul line. Frager came off the bench in 27 of his 29 appearances this season.
The Lincoln native is the first Husker men’s player to earn an individual Big Ten Award since Nebraska joined the conference in 2011-12. He joins Bryce McGowens as the second Husker to be named to the All-Freshman team.
“It just goes to show the trust the coaches and players had in me,” Frager said. “Last year, things didn’t go the way I wanted to, but then I trusted the process. I stayed down, I kept my head down, kept working, and I think that’s the biggest thing just coming in this year. My coaches, my teammates believed in me, and put me in situations where that could happen.”
Rienk Mast earned honorable mention recognition from both the coaches and media, his second Big Ten honor. He was an All-Big Ten Third-Team choice for the coaches in 2023-24. He was also the Huskers’ nominee for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award this season. Mast averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists this year after missing the entire 2024-25 season.
“I know with Nebraska’s history, we get underestimated. You can see that in the preseason poll,” Mast said of the team bringing home postseason accolades. “So to get some of that credit and recognition after the season, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
