The nation’s longest active win streak is on the line when No. 7 Nebraska hosts Washington in a Big Ten game on Wednesday night in Lincoln, Neb.
The Cornhuskers (18-0, 7-0) have won 22 games dating back to last season, the longest by a Big Ten school since Ohio State started 24-0 in 2010-11. Nebraska achieved the highest AP ranking in school history this week, while six consecutive weeks in the Top 25 stands as the school’s longest streak since 1990-91.
Washington (10-8, 2-5) has lost four of five, most recently getting swept at home by the Michigan schools. The Huskies are 6-21 in the Big Ten since moving from the Pac-12 in 2024-25, but they’re wrapping up the most arduous part of their schedule.
Nebraska represents Washington’s fourth top-15 opponent in 15 days. They lost to the first three by a combined 35 points.
“I know the outcomes aren’t what we wanted, against Michigan and Michigan State, and at Purdue, but those teams are going to beat a lot of teams,” Washington coach Danny Sprinkle said. “But we’ve gotten a lot better.”
Nebraska has been a two-headed monster on offense lately with Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort and redshirt freshman Braden Frager each scoring 20 points or more in the last two games. Sandfort, who leads the team at 16.7 points per game, is 12 of 21 from 3-point range the last two games and shooting 41.1% from outside for the year. Frager, who comes off the bench, leads the Huskers’ eight-man rotation with his 53.4% shooting. He sank 7 of 11 from 3-point range Jan. 13 against Oregon.
“When we’re (on) the break, do everything you can to locate where Pryce is, where Braden is,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Injuries have had a major impact on Washington’s season, causing it to use nine different starting lineups. While guard Wesley Yates recently returned after a five-game absence, center Lathan Sommerville hasn’t played since mid-December and senior guard Desmond Claude announced last week he has stepped away from on-court activities due to a lingering ankle injury that has limited him to 12 games.
Claude, a transfer from USC, averaged 13.3 points per game and scored 20-plus points four times, but he was limited to eight scoreless minutes Jan. 14 against Michigan before deciding to take a step back.
The Huskies still have their top two scorers in forward Hannes Steinbach and guard Zoom Diallo. The 6-foot-11 Steinbach averages 17.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, which means he joins North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson and Fairfield’s Brandon Benjamin as the only freshmen averaging a double-double.
“He’s the focal point of every scouting report,” Sprinkle said.
While off to its best start in conference play since 1965-66, Nebraska continues to struggle on the glass and at the line. The Cornhuskers get outrebounded by 0.6 per game in Big Ten action and their 13.3 free-throw attempts per game are a distant last in the 18-team league.
They more than make up for it by being deadly from outside. Their 39.4% accuracy rate and their 86 3-pointers in seven conference games lead all Big Ten schools.
Washington has allowed at least 80 points in each of its last four losses. Big Ten opponents are shooting 47.7% against the Huskies.
Nebraska has won 11 consecutive games at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Washington is 3-10 in Big Ten road games since joining the league, with only two of those coming against opponents outside the Pacific time zone.
–Field Level Media
