No. 5 Nebraska men’s basketball suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday night against No. 3 Michigan, 75-72, falling to 20-1 and ending its undefeated season. Despite the loss, junior small forward Pryce Sandfort made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points, his fifth straight game reaching that mark.
Sandfort transferred to Nebraska last offseason from Iowa and has been on a hot streak, leading the Huskers in points per game (17.4) and 3-point shooting percentage (40.8), as well as cementing himself as a key contributor to Nebraska’s historic 20-0 start, the best start to a season in program history.
“He’s got a lot of confidence, and we’re gonna do whatever we can to find him,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said after the Huskers’ 77-66 win vs. Washington on Jan. 21. “When we get stops and go into transition, we always have to know where Pryce is.”
Sandfort’s 17.4 points per game is a big jump from the 8.8 points per game he scored with the Hawkeyes last season. He scored 20 or more points in 10 games this season, five of those games being in January alone.
“I’d like to say this is probably the best my shots have felt in my career,” Sandfort said after his 23-point performance against Washington. “I give all the credit to my teammates and coaches. I definitely feel like I’m playing at a high level and I gotta keep it going.”
One of the key factors to the Huskers’ tremendous season has been their 3- point shooting, where Sandfort has shined this season. Sandfort converted on a career-high 40.8 percent of his shots beyond the arc, and he leads the team with 73 3-pointers made. A majority of those shots have come while Nebraska is transitioning to the opposing side of the court.
“Transition is always a time where shooters really get threes off,” Sandfort said after his 22-point game vs. Northwestern on Jan. 17. “I give a lot of credit to all of our guards for finding me in transition. We’ve talked about it in the offseason, and throughout the season, and they’re doing a really good job of it.”
Sandfort was a phenomenal pickup by Hoiberg in the transfer portal and is in contention for a first-team All-Big Ten selection. The Huskers look for him to be a big contributor in their search to win an NCAA tournament game for the first time in team history.
“When he gets loose in transition, our guys have done a really good job of finding him,” Hoiberg said after the Huskers’ win against Northwestern. “When we’re on the break, we do everything we can to locate where Pryce is.”
Nebraska will look to bounce back in its white-out matchup against No. 9 Illinois at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on FS1.