1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - Nebraska MBB big win over Illinois: December 15, 11:00am

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

What did we learn about Nebraska during the Cornhuskers' win over Illinois. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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It's not a round table. We haven't at least got the three of us. Night to the semi-circle table. There we go. Back together. Jake Bockovin, myself here as well as Nick Sandert and Austin Oerman. And we're here to celebrate. We're here to discuss Nebraska basketball after their big victory over Illinois.

now there's also some negativity from the weekend we don't have to dive too much into that we can get to that later but obviously husker volleyball uh came up a little bit short on their on their way to an undefeated season but let's keep it positive let's start with nebraska basketball debunkers lawrence of course hits the buzzer beater to give nebraska the 83 to 80 win over illinois uh number 13 Illinois at the time so we'll see today I don't believe the polls have been released how far Nebraska can move up in the top 25 but officially a historic season as Nebraska starts 11 and 0 for the first time in school history. Look at the Big Ten standings, of course, 2 and O as well. That's a big deal. Nebraska hasn't, I don't believe have done that even in Big Ten tournament play. Maybe if they had it, it'd be rare. So obviously, just a great start for it, Nebraska against Illinois. And when you're talking about it back in the back there, guys, is this the biggest win in the Fred Hoiberg era?

I don't know if I can go quite that far because we have to remember Nebraska did beat a number one team but that was at home and that was a really good Purdue team and I still think that any time you can beat a number one team anytime you can do it for the first time and what would that about? 42 years I think, 42 seasons. That still probably has to take the cake because of everything that it ended up leading to down the road.

But I do think that you have to at least consider this win, right? because Nebraska made that game live up to expectations, right? If you look at the post game notes that the Nebraska sends out, that's just Nebraska's second win in Champaign since joining the Big Ten. Nebraska is now just three and 14 all time in Champaign, just two wins in that gym. First win in Champaign since 2016. Nebraska did beat Illinois at home last year in a back and forth sort of game.

But the stakes around this one were school history on the line. you tied your best start but now you extended it you know you're a ranked team you won your game at home as a ranked team and then you had the chance to double down on it to prove that it wasn't a fluke to take the show on the road fred holleyberg said after wisconsin boys went at home men on the road you know men went on the road and Nebraska did that it wasn't perfect but it's about as well played a game as i think you could ask for for the most part from nebraska that played well that overcame some adversity and if you want to give the nod to the Purdue win, I can't blame you, I'm probably there with you.

But I do think there's a real case to be made that given all the other stakes around this one, this at least has a chance to be for now the best win of the Fred Hoyberg era. I think you guys are on to something. What I would say a little differently is and we're really, you know, grasping at straws and arguing over minor differences.

I think this is the most impactful. You look back at that, Purdue win in the the street that they went on where they were, they had wins over Wisconsin at home, who was a top 10 team at the time and then Purdue at home. This feels, I don't want to say that those felt fluky, but this feels like from top to bottom, they're just a better basketball team than they were when they played those teams. From top to bottom.

Because like, I think you look back at those and go, okay, without case say in that game, you probably don't win or without rink in those. games, rank late in those games, you don't win. I think what we noticed about Saturday, it was another indication that this team is from top to bottom, there are multiple areas where they can hurt you, where Price Sanford in the first half obviously was a big key. And that's something I texted one of our, one of my buddies during it was, all right, expecting Illinois to maybe have a change in game plan or attack against Price Sanford defensively.

Not only do we feel like maybe Price can then take it on the floor and get something close of the bucket. But then guys, like, okay, go ahead and put the ball in rank mass hands. Go ahead and put the ball in, whether it's Brayden Frager or Sam Hoyberg's hands, Jamarcus Lawrence. Like, there's a lot of different areas and people that can hurt teams for Nebraska. So I think it was the most impactful win because this was the biggest one so far this season where you can look at it and say Nebraska has a team. Everybody loves to talk about the net rankings, the quad rankings. Nebraska 2 and 0 in quad one games. Oklahoma was the neutral site right on the fringe at 50th in the net. That's right on the fridge for fringe

for neutral site games of a quad one. Obviously on Saturday it was a quad one win. But elsewhere, you look at what they have upcoming for after North Dakota and New Hampshire, four of your next five are going to be quad one opportunities. We're going to learn a lot as the calendar turns over in January buck about how good this team really is. Yeah, and it's interesting, you look at even last year and as we kind of do this, you know, kind of look through the biggest wins here, is that Nebraska, this is not necessarily new to beat a top 25 team. There were four and four against them last year, of course, did not make the NCAA tournament

and kind of fell out there toward the end, as we know, started this streak by winning the crown tournament. But so I think that that's another thing that's, it's just kind of refreshing or even weird as Nebraska basketball fan where it's like you used to maybe hopefully Kansas comes in town you get an upset you know one out of every eight years and you know maybe it'd beat somebody else here and there but it just it just was very rare and now it's it's like not only is Nebraska ranked but they're continually beating ranked teams. Another thing from the game notes. Nebraska is now 10 and 11 in its last 21 games against

ranked teams dating back through March of 2022. That's crazy. The formula really for a team or program like Nebraska. I've heard this first in baseball, but I think it does apply to other sports as well. If you can beat up on the bad teams and go 500 against the good teams, that at least gets you in position, right? And that's what Nebraska has done. You think back to March 1st of 2022, right? That's when things really, you know, start the turn for Nebraska. Would have been at the end of the 21, 22, 22, 23 is where they go 500. After starting the year, a little rough with Derek Walker on the bench. And then 23, 24, obviously the run to the tournament.

Nebraska obviously gets more ranked on ranked and just, you know, ranked opportunities in basketball by virtue of the longer season, right, 31 games as opposed to say 12 for football. But if Nebraska can go 500 against ranked teams in any given year, and I think that the floor of this program is raised to where they're going to beat up on the bad teams, they're going to handle business. That's the formula. You know, it's hard to win games against ranked teams.

Going 500 or thereabout is a pretty good record for a team in a, program in Nebraska's shoes. You know, it's not like you're looking at it, like, oh, if they can get this one, it'd be nice, but they don't need it. The other part of this is Nebraska's won enough of these ranked games that now you're like, hey, it's not just a puncher's chance, right? Nebraska is a legitimate good team that we have to give more than just the pity chance to win this game and just pray for an upset.

Like Nebraska is going to be in these games. Guys, um, I, this is a little off topic, though. I just pulled up Nebraska's stub hub for Nebraska versus Michigan State. Have you guys looked at this at all? Not yet. I mean, so it is, it is quoted as, so there's different levels on Stubhub, where it's like good deal, you know, good, good, you know,

low, low demand, high demand, hottest event. Nebraska and Michigan State is categorized it's an 8 p.m. tip off on January 2nd. Hottest event. So I posted on my, on my Twitter just a couple minutes ago. The, the ticket prices.

You cannot sit in the lower bowl for less than $276 per ticket. There are tickets that are available for $486. There are tickets that are available for $335, 544, 584. An important thing to remember on January 2nd, students will not be there.

They will be on break. So fans are able to buy the tickets that students where they usually sit. and so this this is going to be i mean you can't sit in the 200 level for less than $226 it is absolutely insane what if Nebraska what we expect right is that they beat north Dakota and new hampshire you're talking about an undefeated Nebraska team probably ranked in the top 15 at that time for sure ranked in the top 15 going up against a a round top 10

Michigan State team on January 2nd. It is going to be the things that are around the corner for Husker Hoops are so fun. It's so much fun to talk about. Yeah, in Michigan State, by the way, a 9 and 1 at this point.

They've got Toledo, Oakland, and Cornell before that game. So they should be okay. Oakland's been known to make an episode. So let's speak. So 13 and O Nebraska versus 12 and 1 Michigan State. Yeah.

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came to Lincoln. Didn't they run that game. 77 to 70. Now last year, we can erase that one. I was a near 40 points win for Michigan State. But Nebraska did beat him. That's an interesting Michigan State team. And I think part of the reason Nebraska evolved to the way that it did

was because Fred Hoyberg spent quite a bit of time around Tom Izzo. I think about Jack Hoyberg being up there at Michigan State for a while. What does Michigan State do? They play two bigs, consistently, and they like to get out and run in transition. What does Nebraska done? They've started playing two bigs over the last three or four years, and Nebraska has really skewed offensive rebounding to get back in transition. I have not been a believer in Michigan State for a couple of years. They keep finding ways to win, credit to coaches and his guys.

But I think a lot of what Nebraska has done is in response to a lot of what Michigan State has done. I think that's fair. I mean, it is fun to watch the Nebraska team in the team building, and obviously the changes in philosophy over the years. But, you know, as we look at this team again, still North Dakota, New Hampshire, before that game, should be wins and should be exciting. What do you guys want to see dream those games? Because it is still a team that can get better.

Yugi Erisovicious should be back for that game. Can he kind of make the lineup right away? How much can he play in those games? You know, you don't want to take wins for granted. But what do you guys want to say? I mean, Braden Frager didn't score the other day. you know, Bear Cave, three points. And obviously, but so there's just room to grow who specifically.

And obviously the man, we, we shouldn't have gone this part without speaking about Jared Garcia in the extended role that he's getting. Yeah, I don't know if, to me, it's a who, because I do think to, to Nick's point before Nebraska is 18. It's deep. You don't just need one or two guys to go off. I mean, Stanford in the first half. Then you have three guys and double figures in the second half for Nebraska, just against

Illinois. Frager's going to be up and down. I think if Nebraska does get off to a little bit of a slug. low start. That's where bringing Braden Frager in off the bench to be a spark, I think is going to be key down the road. If Frager's really good against the, you know, middle of the road in bad teams and then is just not a negative against the really good teams, that's fine for him as a freshman right now. So if Nebraska is a little sloppy against North Dakota in New Hampshire, you hope that he can be that energy spark off the bench. Other than that, it's trust the process,

right? I think this is a mature team that knows how to handle business, but they can't. and afford to fall back into bad habits, right? They've had some hiccups at different times, right? You think about Maryland Eastern Shore, how that game went for Nebraska, not exactly as comfortable as Hesker fans would have wanted it to be. These couple of games, you know, can't even look like the first eight minutes, say, against West Georgia. These are games that Nebraska just has to make sure it wins every four-minute segment. I want to see the bench guys at the end of the game maintain or extend the lead, I think here late in this one. It just trust the process. Keep grinding away at what you're doing and make sure you put together two full 40-minute games to make fans feel

good for the game that's coming up in about three weeks against Michigan State. Guys, so I'm looking at a lot of these different sites, whether it's Bart Torvik, whether it's Ken Palm, Nets, quad, stuff like that. Just looking ahead, I mean, first off, what's miraculous, I mean, you have guys like Price Sanford shooting 71% from the field from the two from two point shot on just strictly two point shots also shooting 40% from three um you have sam hoyberg shooting 62% from two you have braden frager shooting 72% from two yeah it is it is i mean nebraska has one two three four guys that are shooting 40% or higher from beyond the three point line this but but once again when even sanford's not at 40 yes but 39 sorry 39 points 30 30 30 30

he's at 0.393%, so 39.3%. Yes, yeah, 35 of 89 3 points, 3 points shots this year. It's crazy to think about that Nebraska has found a way, and this is what good teams do, this is what great teams do, teams that are capable of winning in March, is they find a way to improve their deficiencies while still keeping their identity. Nebraska basketball,

what's won them games this season more times than I think we give them credit for is their defensive ability. Now, granted, a lot of times, like, if you're going to win, if you're going to win by 90 to 60, sure, you scored 90 points. Not very many teams you're going to be able to beat you.

But I go back to the Creighton game. And I go back to even the games like Winthrop or Kansas State or New Mexico. And yeah, Nebraska just surely outscored opponents, but it wasn't like the Oklahoma game. It wasn't where you needed 105 to win or you needed to score in the

century to win. Nebraska and Nate Lanzer we continuously talk about them. Saturday, especially in that first half, I felt like Nebraska came out with a defensive intensity that kind of got overshadowed by Price Sanford's ability just to shoot the rock.

My only pushback to that will be, I'm not sure how sustainable Nebraska success is defensively. I think that they've set a high bar. I struggle to think it's going to continue to be this good for 18 more Big 10 conference games. It'll be a good defense. I'm not sure it will continue to be this elite. I did a whole TC3 on that actually on Friday night. But you're right. I think the thing that Nebraska has done is gotten to a point where it's good enough defensively, good enough in rebounding to where it allows the offense to thrive.

I do want to get to this from Byron the Hog Farmer. Undefeated with Jacobson playing 10 plus minutes since last year is the weirdest stat. It's really not when you think about it because you think about KL being a little bit down the bench. Sometimes some of those minutes come in in mop-up duty. Sure. But this year, he's playing legit minutes. And I think that stat carries a little bit more weight.

And then remember Nebraska couldn't finish around the rim for years. Now they can. Well, a big part of that's due to the outside shooting. When Nebraska's shooting well, that's what Fred Hoyberg talks about when he mentions gravity is opposing teams help defenders can't just pack the paint against Nebraska like they could last year or even at times two seasons ago.

When the floor is this spread out, you have to think about the quality of looks that Nebraska is getting at the rim. It's a lot of back cuts. It's a lot of one-on-one drives where guys have to stay attached to their responsibility and not be able to help. I think Nebraska's guards and wings are better at finishing around the rim because of that. I do still have some concerns with Nebraska's posts being able to finish through contact hasn't been consistent. Sure, they'll draw their fouls and get to the free throw line, but seeing them actually convert through contact would be nice. But yes, Nebraska is better around the rim, and I think it's because they're better on the perimeter as well. Bach, what if I would tell you?

So this is what Bart Torvik has on his projection. And he basically projects like, okay, the Nebraska, this is what they're going to be favored in this game. If this game was played today, this would be the spread. Right now, obviously North Dakota, projecting a 93 to 58 win for Nebraska. New Hampshire projecting a 91 to 57 win for the Huskers. As of right now, projecting a 71 to 70 win against Michigan State for Nebraska.

After that, projecting a one-point loss at Ohio State, projecting a five-point loss at Indiana, projecting a 10-point win versus Oregon. Now, we're getting a little farther away. But he has Nebraska, according to his model, has Nebraska finishing the season 24 and 7 with a 13-7 mark in the Big 10 conference. Now, I will do this as we are talking here.

Like, I don't remember the 2024 Big Ten basketball standings. Let me pull them up real quick. 13 and 7 would have put you in. I want to make sure I get this right. 2024, 2025. 13 and 7 would have had you tied for fourth in the conference standings last year. So when we talk buys in the Big Ten tournament, where you don't have to play on what day does it start?

now, Tuesday. Probably Tuesday. Right? All the teams are in again, right? Yeah, all the teams are in. So it's probably going to start Tuesday. If you don't have to play until Thursday, that's massive. That is huge for Nebraska.

And so I can't remember. Maybe it's even Friday. Maybe you start in the quarters when you're a top four team. You do start in the quarter. So you play Friday. Teams would have to play three games before they play you on Friday. The advantage is there if Nebraska can do just what they're projected to do and and maybe a little bit extra is really fun with 13 and 7 feel like

a letdown after two no start it wouldn't it wouldn't I mean it wouldn't feel like it does now so yeah I mean I think a little bit I that's what I think I think as we go through these things it's like I don't think Nebraska this team and we're seeing it now I don't think it's a team we're preying on selection Sunday they get in I think this is a team that can when we get to big 10 tournament time and usually that's the same thing you know it's like well maybe they can win a game or two and kind of help the resume, they'll be a real threat. Now, we have to see Michigan looks like a beast. I mean, so I don't know, you know, outside of that, you know, short story is saying,

well, they look like the favorites of, but there's a long season. We'll kind of see how this plays out. But Nebraska feels like a team that you definitely don't want to play in the tournament. Yeah, I mean, here's this, on this, the projection thing, later in the year, Bartorvik has Nebraska losing by one to USC on the road and losing by three on the road at UCLA. A. If you can flip one or both of those, then you instantly become 26 and 5, and we're talking 15 and 5 in the conference. Which is really hard to do. Oh, it's incredibly difficult.

I mean, think about what we're talking about right now. Which is where the reason I think 13 and 7 would probably feel like a letdown from where the team is now and still be incredible is because in my head, that's Nebraska going like 8 and 2, 9 and 1 at home. And that'd be 4 and 6 or 5 and 5 on the road in the big 10. You know, for as good as Nebraska looks right now, they got to keep stacking days. And I think I'm in on this team. They got to prove to me they can get to that mark, which is where I have a hard time getting to 15. But 13 absolutely needs to be in play for this team after starting to it.

And Bach, I mean, what if I would have told you this last year? As Nebraska finished the season 7 and 13 in the Big 10 conference, you're talking about a 12 game difference. You've improved by 12 games. just in conference play. It's a 12-game shift. Six more wins, six fewer losses. If we all sat there last year and said,

hey, go through, you're going to be 7 and 13 in the conference this year, but next year, that record just in the conference gets flipped. And you pair that with a 13-0 Big 10 conference record, or excuse me, non-con record. I think there's a lot of fans that would sit there and go, okay, yeah, that's a shift in just one season.

Well, it's going to be interesting. It's somewhat uncharted territory. So I'm interested to see how the fan base even reacts as we kind of get going here. Obviously, the sky's not falling one way or the other this season. So that's kind of nice to not have to deal with that. I don't want to say that too quickly. Obviously, they had a chance to make the Instillade tournament last year and drop the final five. So Nebraska basketball can always rear its ugly head.

But, I mean, again, once you beat a top 15 team that I believe to be a top 15 team, not a fluke top 15 team on the. road, you know, you're in the discussion to win just about any game that you're in. So, you know, I think the expectations and to see where this goes. Now, you know, can Nebraska kind of stay hot? I mean, part of it into that defense that you guys are talking about is Nebraska's three point defense. I mean, this is a this is a big, the three pointer is huge, obviously in basketball and more important in, you know, the Steph Curry revolution and all that. But Nebraska basketball really leans into that. They give up a lot of three point

attempts and they've been holding teams on the season below 30% can you keep that up is that is that because of Nebraska's length and they're they're good you know in running ability and all that they can test those or are they going to run into some teams that get hot um you know and on the flip side Nebraska shoots more threes than they do twos right now they have more three point attempts 10 more than they do two so again a lot of it's going to come down to can Nebraska keep the hot shooting um but again when you talk about something being a fluke or not you know you've got five guys that are shooting hovering around 40% from beyond the arc

and that's why, you know, they're so difficult to defend there. Don't get a twisted. Illinois's legit. Like I think Illinois is good. They were, they were bigger than Nebraska and they dominated Nebraska, especially on the offensive glass. And I think you, this is an

Illinois team like, this is not just an Illinois team that was ranked 15th because they started the season in around the 20th mark, beat some bad teams. They were coming in. they beat Texas Tech, who's a very good team. They lost by four to Alabama. They beat Ohio State on the road.

They beat Tennessee by 13 points. This is a team that has been tested a little bit more in the non-con than Nebraska has for the Oscars to then go on the road to Champaign and win. I get that Illinois pulled within, you know, a couple at the end and obviously tied it up. I mean, but this was a game that was consistently seven or more points of different. differential. And that was what was more impressive for me is that it wasn't that price started out hot. Illinois came back and then Nebraska was trying to play catch up and just kind of lingering around. No, it was Illinois trying to linger around and just

barely did enough with some help of really some shady officiating throughout the game and just inconsistencies there that allowed Illinois to really get back into this thing. All right. We are ready to take a break. We'll continue to talk Husker Sports and more here on 93-7. The ticket. This is one-on-one. We'll be right back.