"Our defense definitely fueled our offense, and our coaching staff did a great job of putting a plan together."
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Cornhuskers of Nebraska caught fire, continuing their 13-game win streak, as they crushed Creighton in front of a sold-out crowd inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Bluejays were defeated 71-50, as Nebraska continues the nation’s longest winning streak in men’s basketball.
Huskers on the Hunt
For the first time since 2018, Nebraska (9-0) defeated Creighton (5-4) in Lincoln in a highly anticipated interstate rivalry match-up, having played against one another since 1923. Creighton currently leads the series 30-29; however, this didn’t deter the Cornhuskers. Nebraska was incredibly dominant, leading 15-2 in the game’s first seven minutes. For a moment, the Bluejays were showing offensive life, closing the gap to only 6 points. After this initial attempt by Creighton, Nebraska would dominate. Nebraska led Creighton 33-19 at halftime, at one point leading by 27 points during the 2nd half. Senior Rienk Mast posted a game-high of 20 points while shooting an impressive 60% from three-point range. The last time Nebraska had defeated Creighton by over 20 points was in 1995, displaying how determined and physical the Cornhuskers are this season.
Although Nebraska showed endless talent offensively, the Husker’s defense ultimately won the day. The Creighton Bluejays were held to their lowest offensive output in more than 20 years, shooting 30.8% from the field, including an embarrassing 19% in the first half from the field. Creighton only made 8 of their attempted 33 three-pointers. Creighton also lost in rebounding compared to Nebraska, finishing the game with a 35-39 deficit.
Head Coach of Nebraska Men’s Basketball Fred Hoiberg remains enthusiastic and confident about a program like Nebraska that’s currently 9-0 while not showing any signs of slowing down. He said, “It’s what we need; our students were unbelievable. Our defense definitely fueled our offense, and our coaching staff did a great job of putting a plan together.”
Hoiberg emphasized that Nebraska must stay focused as the Cornhuskers approach conference play, saying, “We got to bounce back. When you have two days like this after a big emotional one (game), tomorrow is going to be mostly a mental preparation day. We’ll have stations, and we’ll get the game plan put in. We’ll get up and down a little bit on Tuesday in preparation. So we need to put this one behind us quickly, have a good film session tomorrow, and hopefully go out and play a complete 40-minute game against Wisconsin."
The Bluejays' Fatal Blunder
Considering the Creighton Bluejays reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons, they’ve certainly “fallen from grace.” Creighton dropped many winnable games this season already, losing in Las Vegas to a mediocre Baylor team and to Iowa State without star guard Tamin Lipsey. Defeating Nebraska would’ve flipped a switch on Creighton’s season, giving them the inspiration and spark they needed to finish confidently; however, that time never came for the Bluejays.
Greg McDermott, the head coach of Creighton Men’s Basketball, gives his thoughts by saying, “I thought in the first half, our shooters had pretty good shots; there were a couple I didn’t like. But there’s a reason Nebraska gives up more threes than anybody in the country. That’s kind of their philosophy. They’re going to send you hard to the baseline; they’re going to trap it. Their second efforts are really good with a late challenge, and that probably was in our head a little bit. Having said that, we’ve worked on that all week, knowing that was their technique defensively.”
McDermott continues by saying to the media, “Once they got ahead, it was like, you know, it’s like there was blood in the water and we were in trouble.”
Next-Up
Nebraska plans to continue their 13-game win streak, as the Cornhuskers haven't lost since March 9th, 2025. They open up conference play on December 10th against Wisconsin (7-2), and then on December 13th they face their toughest challenge of the season yet, the No. 14 ranked Illinois (7-2) in Champaign.
Creighton must continue its schedule with power, as they retain their playoff hopes for this season. On December 13th, the Bluejays face Kansas State (5-4), and then on December 17th, they open conference play against Xavier (7-3) in Cincinnati.
Key Stat
Creighton was held to 30.8% shooting from the field, including 19% in the first half.
Final Score
Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
