Friday Five: What comes now?
Nebraska basketball’s season ended short of the Elite Eight, but it left something more important behind: belief and expectations to match.
It didn’t end the way Nebraska wanted. That part is unavoidable and it’s going to stick for a while.
If you’re only looking at the final three minutes in Houston though, you’re missing the bigger shift that happened over the last four months. Nebraska didn’t just have a good season. Instead, this team changed the conversation around what this program can be.
“Now that we’ve done it, this can’t be one every eight years,” coach Fred Hoiberg said post-game. “It’s got to be something where we’re competing in this tournament, and as you see, anything can happen. You can compete for championships if you get hot at the right time.
“Again, I’m so proud of these guys for everything that they accomplished for Nebraska basketball, and I know Husker Nation as well, as much as this one stings, when we hang that banner next year, it’s going to be a hell of a celebration.”
Let’s get into it.
A finish that hurts and a season that raised the bar
There’s a specific kind of frustration that comes with a game like Thursday night. It’s not the kind where a team gets run off the floor or is clearly overmatched, but the kind where control slowly slips away.
Nebraska led for most of the night. It dictated the tempo early, built a cushion and answered Iowa every time momentum started to tilt. For long stretches, it looked like the Huskers were going to finish it. Then the margins tightened.
Iowa didn’t overwhelm Nebraska in Houston. It stayed within reach, made just enough plays and capitalized on the moments that matter most in March. A turnover here. A missed shot there. A possession that didn’t end cleanly. Those are the plays that don’t always stand out in real time but add up quickly when the game compresses late.
When Iowa finally took its first lead with just over two minutes remaining, it felt abrupt, but it had been building. Nebraska couldn’t find the shot it needed to settle things and Iowa did what Nebraska couldn’t: close the deal.
That’s the part that lingers.
Pryce Sandfort delivered a performance worthy of the stage, finishing with 25 points and knocking down six 3-pointers. Braden Frager added 16 and provided a spark from deep when Nebraska needed it. Together, they carried much of the offensive load and kept Nebraska in control for most of the night. But the game didn’t come down to shot-making alone.
The turnover margin quietly told the story. Nebraska had 10 while Iowa had 5. That difference turned into a 20-7 gap in points off turnovers, and in a game decided in the final minutes, that’s the difference.
Still, the result shouldn’t erase what this season became.
Nebraska finished with 28 wins, the most in program history. It broke through in the NCAA Tournament for the first time and pushed all the way to the Sweet 16. More importantly, it looked like a team that understood how to operate in March, how to handle pressure, how to respond, how to belong.
That doesn’t soften the loss—it shouldn’t—but it does change what comes next. This isn’t about proving Nebraska can get there anymore. It’s about figuring out how to finish when it does.
The Red-White Spring Game is here
Spring games are always a little tricky. There’s an expectation to show something new, something exciting, something worth the trip to Memorial Stadium. At the same time, it’s still an evaluation tool more than anything else.
Matt Rhule isn’t interested in dressing it up.
“It’ll be like a game,” he said Thursday. “We’ll hope to see the numbers coming up, depending on it, depending on how it came out of today. So, if we’re to put the offense in one kind of defense in another, we’ll still just play like a game that went off.”
Nebraska knows it doesn’t need the theatrics right now. Instead, it needs clarity and execution. It needs to show that the work being done behind the scenes is translating to something consistent on the field.
The most visible change will come defensively, where Rob Aurich’s 4-2-5 system replaces the structure Nebraska has leaned on in recent years. But the scheme itself isn’t the focus as much as how it’s carried out.
“I want to see the same standard of running to the ball, getting off blocks, doing their jobs,” Rhule said. “I think, anytime you scrimmage, tackling is of the utmost.”
That’s the evaluation. It’s not about whether or not the defense looks different, but instead whether it looks disciplined, whether it plays fast without losing structure and whether the fundamentals hold up when the setting feels a little more real.
“Don’t change the way you play,” Rhule said. “Play one snap at a time. Anxious to see the tackling.”
Simple, but that’s kind of the point.
A weekend that feels like a snapshot of everything at once
There’s a lot happening in Lincoln this weekend. That’s probably putting it lightly.
Softball hosts one of the biggest series of the season. Baseball continues to build momentum at home. Football brings fans back into the stadium. All of it layered into the same few days.
Rhonda Revelle didn’t overcomplicate it.
“People should know what’s going on at this campus this weekend, because it’s really cool,” Revelle said. “I think it’ll be a pretty great environment for softball.”
The softball series, in particular, carries weight. Nebraska enters it playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten Conference, riding a long winning streak and leaning on a pitching staff that has controlled games in a way that feels sustainable.
UCLA brings the opposite challenge with an offense that can overwhelm teams quickly and force games into a different rhythm.
“The rate that they’re scoring has been super impressive, and when an offense scores like that, it can kind of beat down a team on both sides of the ball,” Revelle said.
That contrast makes the series compelling. Nebraska’s ability to dictate with pitching versus UCLA’s ability to accelerate the game offensively.
At the same time, baseball continues to stack wins at Haymarket Park. The Huskers haven’t lost at home, and even as the rotation adjusts, the results haven’t dipped. That’s usually the sign of a team that’s starting to understand itself.
Will Bolt’s decision to rework the rotation reflects that awareness.
“I just can’t imagine going the whole year and trying to win the league without using (Cooper) Katskee more on the weekend,” Bolt said. “That’s just really what it boils down to.”
Pro Day brings a different kind of perspective
In the middle of everything else, there was also a quieter moment this week. It’s one that doesn’t come with a scoreboard or a big crowd.1 That event was Nebraska’s Pro Day.
For the players involved, it’s the culmination of years of work, but also the beginning of something uncertain. There’s no guarantee on the other side of it, only opportunity.
“You grow up every Sunday just dying to watch the NFL, dreaming about playing in it,” Emmett Johnson said. “So to be in a position to do this, to be at Pro Day, it’s a blessing.”
Johnson improved on his combine numbers, shaving time off his 40-yard dash and continuing to build his case. Heinrich Haarberg showed his versatility as he transitions to tight end. Others moved through drills knowing this might be their last chance to make an impression.
“I felt like it was a great performance, but I’ve got a lot more football to be played,” Johnson said.
The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23-25, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bowling does what Nebraska bowling does
The Huskers are back in the NCAA Tournament—again—and at this point, that part barely registers as news. Nebraska is the only program to qualify for every NCAA Bowling Championship since the event began in 2004.
This year’s path starts in Pittsburgh, where Nebraska heads into the regional round with a 71-33 record after navigating a competitive Conference USA Championship. The Huskers didn’t leave that tournament with a title, but they didn’t leave without momentum either. They’ve already been through the kind of pressure situations that define March and April in this sport.
As for the NCAA regional itself, it’s a double elimination format. Nebraska opens against Duquesne, while the rest of the bracket works through its own early-round matchup to determine who advances to face one of the top seeds.
The regional itself is just the first checkpoint. Only one team advances out of Pittsburgh when it’s all said and done.
If Nebraska advances, the final four teams will meet in Parma Heights, Ohio, for the NCAA Championships. That’s the stage the program expects to reach, and Nebraska knows this spot well.
In another world, this newsletter began and ended with news about Nebraska basketball advancing to the Elite Eight. That didn’t happen, and there will be plenty to dissect between now and the beginning of next season.
For now, instead, we’ll frame this week as a ceiling raised. There are opportunities still out there for Nebraska, even if a piece of it stings right now.
After all, it’s never been about just one story for Nebraska. The next chapter is always there, ready to digest when the time is right.
Editor’s note: We won’t have a game day guide on Saturday, because there isn’t much to share in advance to warrant the full guide. However, we will have a game day chat and will share updates throughout the game for those that would like to join. See you then.
Just worth noting that 29 out of the 32 NFL teams had scouts in Lincoln on Wednesday.
Nebrasketbawl definitely raised their ceiling. Here's to hoping they also raised their floor.