Huskers Open Season vs. Le Moyne Monday Night
The Nebraska men's basketball team opens the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2, as the Huskers welcome the Le Moyne Dolphins to Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:31 p.m. and limited number of 300 Level tickets are available for the opener by visiting Huskers.com/tickets, calling the NU Athletic Ticket Office during business hours (9 a.m.-4 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) or at the PBA Box Office beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday. The matchup will be streamed on B1G+ (subscription required) and broadcast across the state on the Huskers Radio Network as well as on Huskers.com and on the official Huskers app.
Nebraska closed the exhibition season with an 88-84 win over Kansas State in the Battle at BigIron in Grand Island last Monday. Braden Frager and Pryce Sandfort combined for 51 points, as Nebraska built a 13-point second-half lead and withstood a frantic Wildcat rally in the final four minutes for the win. NU won the game at the foul line, going 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds after K-State cut it to a one-possession game. In all, the Huskers were 21-of-27 from the line and hit 13 3-pointers against KSU. Nebraska enjoyed a 44-37 advantage on the glass and committed just seven turnovers after averaging 15.0 turnovers per game in the first two exhibitions.
Frager, who also grabbed 10 rebounds in Monday's win, led NU in scoring during the exhibition slate at 13.7 ppg while along with 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, while Sandfort averaged 13.0 ppg in the three
contests. Freshman Jacob Lanier was the third Husker to average double figures as he averaged 11.3 ppg and 3.3 rpg coming off the bench.
The Huskers will face a Le Moyne team which has retooled its roster after going 15-17 last year and earning the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament with a 10-8 mark. The Dolphins have added 10 transfers and three freshmen while returning just two letterwinners from last season.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
22 - Nebraska has won a school-record 22 straight regular-season non-conference games dating back to Nov. 22, 2024. NU has also won 15 straight home games against non-conference foes dating back to the 2023-24 season.
15 - Nebraska spent a school-record 15 weeks in the AP poll during the 2025-26 season, breaking the school mark of 13 weeks in 1990-91. NU spent a total of 15 combined weeks in the AP poll from the start of the 1991-92 season to the end of the 2024-25 season.
373 - Nebraska's 373 3-pointers in 2025-26 were a school record, breaking the school record of 319 set in 2023-24. NU hit 10-or-more 3-pointers in 23 games this season, including four games of at least 15 3-pointers.
9 - The Big Ten sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament, which tied the most that the conference has sent to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten had six teams - Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue in the Sweet 16, and two teams advance to the Final Four.
1.86 - Nebraska ranked sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86-to-1) in 2025-26, breaking a school record which had stood since 1984-85 (1.81-to-1).
80+ - Nebraska is 52-10 (.839) under Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or more points, including a 43-7 mark since the 2022-23 season. Of those seven losses, four came in overtime. NU went 15-0 this season when scoring 80+ points in 2025-26.
For Openers
Nebraska begins its 131st season of basketball on Monday night against Le Moyne and the Huskers will look for a strong opening night effort.
• Nebraska is 89-41 (.684) all-time in season openers and has won 23 of the past 25 openers dating back to an 87-83 setback at Oral Roberts to begin the 2000 season. Nebraska has won its last six openers dating back to 2020.
• The last time NU opened the year against an NEC foe was in 2003-04, when the Huskers defeated FDU, 80-64.
• Five returning Huskers played in last season's opener against West Georgia, including Braden Frager, who had 22 points off the bench. Pryce Sandfort, Leo Curtis, Connor Essegian, Cale Jacobsen all saw time in the win over West Geogia.
Pavelka Announces One Last Season Behind the Mic
Nebraska men's basketball radio play-by-play announcer Kent Pavelka announced on Oct. 26 that the 2026-27 season will be his 40th and final season of calling Nebraska men's basketball. Pavelka's association with Nebraska basketball dates back more than 50 seasons as he called Husker games for two stretches from 1974-1996 before returning to play-by-play duties full time in 2006-07. Over the years, he has called nearly 1,300 Husker games. A six-time Nebraska Sportscaster of the Year who was inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2019, he received the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award earlier this fall. Pavelka graduated from Nebraska in 1971 with a degree in broadcasting.
More Preseason Accolades for Sandfort this Week
Senior wing Pryce Sandfort received a pair of preseason accolades this week heading into Monday’s opener. On Thursday, he was one of 20 players named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year Watch List. Sandfort was one of four players on the preseason list. Earlier in the week, he was named a candidate for the 2027 Julius Erving Award, which is given to the Small Forward of the Year.
Four Sellouts Announced
The Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office announced this week at four of the Huskers' Big Ten games are already sold out heading into the start of the 2026-27 season. That list included games against Michigan State (Jan. 2), Iowa (Jan. 16), UCLA (Jan. 22) and Indiana (Feb. 6) with others heading toward sellout status. Fans can still purchase tickets for many of Nebraska’s home basketball games by visiting Huskers.com/tickets.
A Look at Nebraska
The Huskers begin their quest for a fourth straight postseason appearance, returning seven players from a team that went 28-7 before losing to Iowa in the Sweet 16. NU returns one starter in senior Pryce Sandfort, who returns after earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. Sandfort averaged 18.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while ranking among the Big Ten leaders in scoring and 3-pointers (3.7 per game, 1st). NU brings back its top two performers off the bench in Braden Frager and Cale Jacobsen. Frager averaged 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a redshirt freshman, while his 57 3-pointers were second on the team. Jacobsen, who has played 79 games in his career, appeared in all 35 games last year and averaged 4.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Fifth-year senior Connor Essegian (5.4 ppg) played just seven games last year after suffering a season-ending injury in November. Two years ago, Essegian averaged 10.7 ppg, including 38 percent from 3-point range. Leo Curtis (1.6 ppg) played in 17 games as a true freshman, including extended minutes in Big Ten games at Michigan and against Penn State. NU's other returnees are junior Will Cooper, who redshirted after playing at Air Force as a freshman, and Henry Burt, a walk-on who missed the entire 2025-26 season with a knee injury. NU added eight newcomers (six transfers and two freshmen) to help offset the loss of four starters from last year. Rienk Mast (Indiana) and Sam Hoiberg (Phoenix) were both expected to play in the NBA G League while Jamarques Lawrence and Jared Garcia are playing professionally overseas.
Scouting Le Moyne
Le Moyne makes its first trip to Lincoln on Monday night to begin the 2026-27 season with a retooled roster. The Dolphins returned just two letterwinners from last year - reserves Trevor Roe and Josiah Lee - but added 13 newcomers, including 10 Division I transfers. Roe played in 17 games and averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while Lee appeared in 16 contests, averaging 1.4 points on 44 percent shooting. The group of newcomers include Jeremy Clayville (6.8 ppg, 1.5 apg at NJIT), Ty Francis (4.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg at Northeastern), Damon King (4.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg at UT-Martin), Jayden Teat (6.0 ppg at Sacramento State) and Kaden Stuckey (4.4 ppg, 0.8 bpg at VMI). LeMoyne won its exhibition game with a 90-84 victory over Canisius on Oct. 17.
Nate Champion is in his seventh season at his alma mater and has guided the school through the transition to the Division I ranks. The Dolphins, who are full Division I members for the first time in 2026-27, went 15-17 last season and were the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament. This is Le Moyne's last year in the NEC, as the school will join the Metro Conference (formerly the MAAC) next summer. Champion was a four-year performer at the school who guided the school to the Division II NCAA Tournament in 2014. That season, he averaged 16.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game and was tabbed the school's Male Athlete of the Year.
This is NU's first meeting with Le Moyne, although the Huskers are 8-0 all-time against the current members of the Northeast Conference. NU's last game with an NEC team was in 2024-25, when the Huskers beat FDU, 86-60. Monday's game will be the first of three meetings against NEC teams this season, as NU will host FDU (Dec. 20) and New Haven (Dec. 30).
Huskers Tabbed for Fifth in Big Ten Media Preseason Poll
While the Big Ten does not do an official preseason poll, the Big Ten Preseason Media Poll organized by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch takes votes from 28 beat writers from around the Big Ten footprint.
The Huskers were picked to finish fifth in the poll, trailing Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan and UCLA. Pryce Sandfort was tabbed as a first-team honoree by the media. The fifth-place pick was NU's highest NU has placed in the preseason poll since being voted fourth in 2019.
Last year, NU was tabbed 14th by the conference media before finishing in a three-way tie for second place.
Poll Watching
Nebraska saw its school-record 15 week run in the Associated Press poll end on Oct. 19, as the Huskers were the second team outside the top 25 in the preseason poll. Nebraska received a total of 70 points in the voting by media, just behind Missouri as the first teams outside the poll.
The good news is that NU will have plenty of opportunities against ranked teams this season. NU has 10 of its 2026-27 opponents either in the preseason poll or receiving votes. Six Big Ten teams were ranked in either the AP or Coaches polls, including Illinois (No. 3/3), Michigan State (6/6), Michigan (16/20), USC (21/22) and UCLA (22/RV) and Purdue (RV/24) while six other Big Ten teams - Nebraska, Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin received votes in either poll. Of the five ranked teams in the AP poll, NU hosts four of them at PBA this season.
Sandfort Named Preseason All-Big Ten
Nebraska senior Pryce Sandfort was honored on Oct. 5, as the Big Ten Conference announced its preseason All-Big Ten team. Sandfort, a 6-foot-7 wing from Waukee, Iowa, was one of 10 players selected by a vote of media that cover Big Ten basketball. Sandfort was one of two unanimous selections, joining Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr., who was tabbed as the preseason player of the year. Sandfort becomes just the fourth Husker to be named preseason All-Big Ten since Nebraska joined the conference in 2011-12, joining James Palmer Jr. (2018), Terran Petteway (2014) and Keisei Tominaga (2023).
He comes off a junior season where he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, averaging 18.1 points per game on nearly 48 percent shooting and 4.9 rebounds per game. He ranked fourth nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.7) while shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc, as his 129 3-pointers broke NU’s single-season record and was the second-highest total in Big Ten history. Sandfort totaled 15 games of at least 20 points, including a trio of 30-point outbursts, all coming in Big Ten action. He capped his first season as a Husker by leading NU to the Sweet 16, averaging 21.0 points per game on 57 percent shooting, including 25 points in the Sweet 16 matchup with Iowa.
Leonhardt Takes the Point
One newcomer who looks to flourish in the Huskers' system is fifth-year guard Trevan Leonhardt. The Utah Valley transfer was a stat-stuffer in NU's game against BYU, finishing with six assists, five rebounds and a game-high three steals in 26 minutes.
Leonhardt was one of the top point guards in the transfer portal after earning first-team All-WAC honors at Utah Valley. He started all 34 games, averaging 11.9 points per game along with 6.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. The 6-foot-6 guard was the only player nationally to rank in the top 25 in both assists (23rd) & steals (18th) per game. He led the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio in each of the past two seasons, ranking fifth nationally in that category in 2024-25. He looks to become the third guard under Head Coach Fred Hoiberg to rank in the top-10 nationally in that category, as Sam Hoiberg set NU's school record with a 3.74-to-1 ratio last season.
In addition to Leonhardt, NU also added San Diego State transfer Taj DeGourville, who ranked among the Mountain West Conference leaders in both assists (3.0, 12th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.0-to-1, seventh) last season. Last year, Nebraska ranked sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86-to-1), the third time a Fred Hoiberg-coached team ranked in the top-10 nationally (2014-15, 8th; 2013-14, 2nd) in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sandfort is Huskers' Shooting Star
Pryce Sandfort put together one of the most prolific shooting seasons in Big Ten history in 2025-26. The 6-foot-7 wing led the Big Ten in 3-pointers made (129) and 3-pointers per game (3.7) while ranking third in 3-point percentage (.416). He finished the season third nationally in 3-pointers (129), fourth in 3-pointers per game (3.7) and 24th in 3-point percentage.
• Sandfort’s 129 3-pointers shattered Nebraska’s previous record of 89 set by Cary Cochran in 2002 and was the most by a Big Ten player since Purdue’s Carsen Edwards had 135 in 2018-19.
• To put Sandfort’s Big Ten season in perspective, his 79 3-pointers in conference play would have ranked sixth on NU’s single-season chart.
• According to Stathead, Sandfort is one of only five players in Big Ten history to shoot 40 percent from 3-point range and have at least 115 3-pointers in a season and the first since Penn State’s Shep Garner in 2017-18.
Frager Looks to Expand Role
After serving as NU's sixth man last year, Braden Frager looks to enjoy a breakout season in 2026-27 as he moves into the lineup. Frager is in his third year in the program after reclassifying prior to his senior year in high school. He is ranked No. 97 on the CBS Sports Top 101 Players in the country.
• Last season, he became the first Husker basketball player to win a Big Ten individual conference season award, as he was chosen as the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year. The Lincoln Southwest product averaged 11.8 points per game on 49 percent shooting and 3.8 rebounds per game in 33 contests
• Frager topped all Big Ten reserves in scoring and had 18 of his 20 double-figure efforts off the bench, including six games of at least 20 points.
• He finished among the program’s top freshmen in several categories, including 3-pointers (57, second), points (391, fourth), scoring average (fifth) and field goals (134, fifth) on his way to earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
• His six 20-point efforts off the bench tied for sixth nationally. Frager trailed only AJ Storr of Ole Miss (8) for the most among power conference players.
• Frager was NU’s second-leading scorer during the NCAA Tournament, averaging 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game off the bench. He provided the game-winner in NU’s 74-72 win over No. 16 Vanderbilt with his basket with 2.2 seconds remaining and had 16 points, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range, in the Sweet 16 loss to Iowa.
A Dose of Cale is Good for the Huskers
Cale Jacobsen returns for his fifth year and is poised to experience a jump like what Sam Hoiberg had in 2025-26. Jacobsen, who originally walked on, played in every game last year, averaging 4.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in helping NU make the Sweet 16.
• This season, Jacobsen has started all three exhibition games in place of Sam Orme and averaged 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game. This week, he was chosen by Jon Rothstein of 247Sports as one of 10 Glue Guys to Monitor.
• Jacobsen moved into the rotation during the 2025 College Basketball Crown and has helped NU go 32-7 in that span. During his career, Nebraska is 35-7 when Jacobsen played at least 10 minutes per game.