Honestly, if you told a Nebraska fan back in October that the Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball schedule would be the talk of the Big Ten in January, they’d probably have laughed you out of the room. Most of the "experts" had Fred Hoiberg’s crew picked to finish 14th in the conference. 14th!
Fast forward to today, January 17, 2026, and the narrative has completely flipped. This team isn't just surviving the gauntlet; they’ve spent the first half of the season wrecking it.
The Current State of Play
We’re sitting here in mid-January, and the Huskers are currently coming off a massive road win against Indiana at Assembly Hall (83-77). That wasn't just a win; it was a statement. This afternoon, they’re in Evanston taking on Northwestern. It’s the kind of game that usually feels like a "trap," but with the way Berke Büyüktuncel has been playing lately—including that triple-double he dropped against North Dakota—nothing feels like a fluke anymore.
The schedule from here on out is basically a series of high-stakes tests.
Key Remaining Men’s Matchups
The back half of the Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball schedule is loaded with home games that are already sold out. If you don't have tickets for the Purdue game on February 10, you're probably out of luck unless you want to pay a fortune on the secondary market.
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- January 21 vs. Washington: The Huskies make their first trip to Lincoln as Big Ten members.
- February 1 vs. Illinois: A huge home game against a team the Huskers already beat in Champaign earlier this season.
- February 10 vs. Purdue: The Boilermakers are always a physical nightmare, but Rienk Mast being back and healthy makes this a much fairer fight in the paint.
- March 8 vs. Iowa: The regular-season finale. It’s on FOX. It’s Senior Day. It’s going to be absolute chaos at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
It is kinda wild to think about how much Rienk Mast has changed the dynamic. Missing all of last year with that knee surgery was brutal for the team's spacing. Now? He’s the hub of the offense. Hoiberg is finally running that "five-out" system he loves, where everyone on the floor can shoot the three. It makes the Huskers a nightmare to scout because you can’t just park a big man in the lane.
Don't Sleep on the Women’s Schedule
While the men are grabbing the headlines with their undefeated start, Amy Williams has the women’s team playing some of the most disciplined basketball in the country. They’ve already got some massive wins under their belt, including an 84-50 thumping of Creighton back in November.
The women's Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball schedule is about to hit its toughest stretch. They travel to Madison to play Wisconsin on January 21, and then they have a massive "Pack PBA" game against Illinois on January 24.
Britt Prince, the sophomore guard from Omaha, has been as good as advertised. She’s basically a walking highlight reel at this point. If you’re following the women's side, keep an eye on that February 16 home game against Iowa. Even without Caitlin Clark in the building anymore, that rivalry still brings a different kind of heat to the arena.
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Why the Schedule Difficulty is Misleading
Usually, people look at a schedule and count "wins" and "losses" based on brand names. They see "Michigan" or "UCLA" and think, Oh, that’s a loss. But the Big Ten is weird this year.
UCLA and USC are still adjusting to the travel. Nebraska actually has to fly out to Los Angeles at the end of February to play both of them. That road trip—USC on February 28 and UCLA on March 3—is going to be the ultimate test of this team's depth. It’s a lot of miles. It’s a different time zone. And it happens right before the regular-season finale against Iowa.
Real Talk on the "Cinderella" Label
People love calling this a "Cinderella" season. Is it, though?
Hoiberg didn't just get lucky. He used the portal to bring back Jamarques Lawrence from Rhode Island and grabbed Pryce Sandfort from Iowa. He kept the core together. He waited for Mast to get healthy.
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This isn't a fluke; it's a build.
When you look at the Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball schedule, the most important thing to realize is that the "tough" games are mostly happening in Lincoln now. After years of being the team that other schools circled as a "guaranteed win," Nebraska has turned Pinnacle Bank Arena into a place where ranked teams go to die.
Actionable Steps for Husker Fans
If you're trying to keep up with the madness, don't just check the scores after the fact. Here’s what you actually need to do to stay ahead:
- Check the TV Listings Weekly: Between Peacock, FS1, and the Big Ten Network, the games are scattered. For example, the Michigan State win was on Peacock, while the upcoming Iowa finale is on FOX. Don't get caught searching for a stream five minutes after tip-off.
- Monitor the Injury Report for Rienk Mast: He’s the engine. If his knee flared up, the "five-out" offense would lose its most important piece.
- Watch the Standings for the Double-Plays: Nebraska plays Iowa, Illinois, and Northwestern twice. Since they’ve already beaten Illinois on the road, the home game on February 1 is massive for tiebreaker purposes in the Big Ten Tournament seeding.
- Look Toward Chicago: The Big Ten Tournament is March 10-15 at the United Center. With 18 teams in the league now, the format is a bit of a marathon. If Nebraska keeps this up, they’re looking at a double-bye, which is huge for rest.
The season is far from over, but for the first time in a long time, the Nebraska Cornhuskers basketball schedule actually feels like a journey toward something meaningful rather than just a countdown to baseball season. Stay tuned, because February is going to be a wild ride.
Next Step: Check the official Huskers.com site or the Big Ten app to verify the specific tip-off times for the upcoming West Coast road trip, as those late-night Los Angeles starts can be easy to miss if you're used to Central Time schedules.