Nebraska Moves Closer To Clinching An Ncaa Tournament Berth

After Nebraska’s men’s hoops squad routed Oregon connected Tuesday, a friend asked a not-serious question.

Has Nebraska clinched a spot successful nan NCAA Tournament?

Well, nan Huskers are 17-0 — 1 of 3 unbeaten teams successful nan nation. They are classed eighth successful nan latest AP Top 25 Poll. They are a projected 3-seed successful ESPN’s latest Bracketology.

If nan play ended today, absolutely. Plan nan travel; book nan hotel.

But successful nan existent world? Clinched? Not quite, of course. No squad clinches an NCAA induce successful January. Well, possibly Duke does.

Is Nebraska getting closer? Yes, pinch each game. It mightiness return a full illness for Nebraska to miss nan NCAAs astatine this point. Have nan Huskers shown thing to bespeak that could happen?

Just nan opposite, successful fact. As a 3-seed, if seedings hold, Nebraska is targeted arsenic an Elite Eight team. But seedings ne'er hold; specified is nan beauty of March Madness.

But Nebraska continues to play itself into nan story of nan year successful assemblage basketball.

What’s near connected Huskers’ schedule

Let’s not get up of ourselves. Two months stay successful nan regular season. The Huskers person 14 games remaining. Then, astatine slightest 1 crippled successful nan Big Ten Tournament.

The remainder of nan Huskers’ schedule is mostly a minefield:

Road games astatine Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan, Rutgers, Iowa, USC and UCLA.

Home games against Washington, Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Penn State, Maryland and Iowa.

It’s intolerable to cognize really galore wins and losses location are successful nan remaining 14 games, but it’s safe to opportunity nan Huskers will not stay undefeated. A nonaccomplishment aliases 2 isn’t going to ruin nan season, not this season.

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index projects Nebraska will decorativeness pinch 25.9 wins and 5.1 losses. In nan Big Ten, ESPN projects 14.9 wins and 5.1 losses. Those numbers will get you into nan NCAA Tournament.

Nebraska has value wins complete Illinois, Michigan State and Indiana, pinch nan anticipation of much connected nan way. The Huskers are 6-0, successful first spot successful nan Big Ten. The Huskers and Purdue are nan Big Ten’s only undefeated teams successful convention play.

Big Ten teams that sewage into nan NCAA Tournament successful 2025

To spot wherever nan Huskers presently stand, we request to look astatine caller history of Big Ten teams making nan NCAA field.

Michigan earned nan conference’s automatic bid past play by winning nan Big Ten Tournament complete Wisconsin.

Seven different Big Ten teams made nan 2025 NCAA field, pinch records:

* Michigan State: 30-7
* Wisconsin: 27-10
* Oregon: 25-10
* Maryland: 27-9
* Purdue: 24-12
* UCLA: 23-11
* Illinois: 22-13

Nebraska was 3-6 against these NCAA Tournament teams past season. Every Big Ten squad pinch 20 victories made nan field, isolated from one.

Nebraska.

The Huskers were 21-14 past play but wounded themselves pinch losses successful six of their last 7 games. When grinding complete nan last teams to take for nan field, nan fickle action committee looks for teams trending upward.

Indiana won 19 games and didn’t get in. Ohio State was 17-15 and was excluded.

Moving guardant to 2026

Nebraska is successful a awesome position to make its ninth NCAA Tournament. The Huskers mightiness beryllium successful a bully spot to triumph their first NCAA Tournament game. They are 0-8 successful nan tourney.

Bracketology’s Joe Lunardi said aft nan Huskers defeated Wisconsin, 90-60, connected Dec. 10, they looked for illustration an NCAA Tournament team.

“I deliberation that nan metrics each bespeak to maine that they [Huskers] person staying power,” Lunardi exclusively told Huskermax.com. “Now, you know, they’re not going to spell 16 and 4 successful nan Big Ten. They tin spell 12 and 8. A 12-8 Big Ten squad is going to nan tournament.

“This twelvemonth they’ve already sewage a mates [of large wins]. And they’re going to triumph location games against different tourney teams.

“They mightiness not triumph a location crippled against, and I don’t know: Do they play Purdue and Michigan astatine home? [Purdue astatine home; Michigan connected nan road.] But they’re going to beryllium complete .500 successful nan Big Ten. And that will get them successful and astir apt get them an 8 [seed] aliases amended seed.

“Now nan convention is sadistic astatine nan top, obviously. But I mean, they [Huskers] don’t request to beryllium successful nan apical three.

“They conscionable request to beryllium successful nan apical half. Now there’s a mates borderline [teams]. But, they’re [Big Ten] going to person nan astir teams this year.”

In his latest Bracketology, Lunardi had 11 Big Ten teams successful nan section of 68.

With 17 wins already, and 14 games to play, Nebraska has an opportunity to group a schoolhouse grounds for wins. Danny Nee’s Huskers won 26 games successful 1990-91, going 26-8 and losing to Xavier successful nan NCAAs first round, 89-84.

Nebraska needs to spell 10-4 down nan agelong for a school-record 27 wins.

Nebraska making nan NCAA section feels inevitable. Let different teams beryllium astir and sweat retired Selection Sunday.

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