Nebraska men’s basketball continues to gain respect across the country.
After receiving only one vote in last week’s Associated Press Top 25 rankings, the Huskers (12-2, 2-1 B1G) garnered 62 points in this week’s poll to be rated just outside the top 25 teams. Nebraska received the third most votes outside of the rankings, placing the Cornhuskers tied for 27th among all teams.
Following an impressive holiday stretch taking down Murray State, Hawai’i, and Oregon State at the Diamond Head Classic, the Huskers followed their break with a 77-43 home win over Southern on Dec. 30. Nebraska then took down then-rated No. 15 UCLA at Pinnacle Bank Arena 66-58 on Saturday.
The Cornhuskers had been receiving votes after their upset of then-No. 14 Creighton in November, but that stopped after a blowout loss at Michigan State in December. Nebraska has not reached the AP Top 25 since 2018.
The Huskers are among 10 Big Ten Conference teams receiving votes or ranked by the Associated Press. Leading the pack is No. 13 Illinois (11-3) that vaulted up nine spots from last week’s poll. No. 15 Oregon (13-2) dropped six spots, while No. 16 Michigan State (12-2) rose two spots. No. 20 Purdue (11-4), No. 22 UCLA (11-3), and No. 24 Michigan (11-3) rounded out the top 25 spots for the conference. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Indiana all received votes in this week’s rankings.
The Southeastern Conference remains strong at the top with six teams inside of the top ten. The top two spots in the AP poll went to No. 1 Tennessee (14-0) and No. 2 Auburn (13-1). No. 5 Alabama (12-2), No. 6 Kentucky (12-2), No. 8 Florida (13-1), and No. 10 Texas A&M (12-2) tightened the grip on the SEC’s dominant start to the year, while No. 14 Mississippi State (13-1), No. 17 Oklahoma (13-1), and No. 23 Ole Miss (12-2) showcased the depth of the league. Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, and Vanderbilt also received votes giving the 16-team league 13 programs receiving votes.
No. 3 Iowa State (12-1) leads the Big 12 Conference’s four ranked teams, followed by No. 11 Kansas (10-3) after the Jayhawks dropped four spots, No. 12 Houston (10-3), and No. 21 West Virginia (11-2). The Big East now has two programs in the top ten with No. 7 Marquette (13-2) and No. 9 UConn (12-3).
The Atlantic Coast Conference only had one team in the top 25 with No. 4 Duke (12-2), That matches No. 18 Gonzaga (12-4) and the West Coast Conference, as well as No. 19 Memphis (12-3) in the American Athletic Conference. Other teams receiving votes in this week’s poll include Pittsburgh, Baylor, St. John’s, San Diego State, Cincinnati, Clemson, St. Bonaventure, Texas Tech, Arizona, Dayton, Georgetown, and Xavier.
Nebraska has now faced two ranked foes this season, going 1-1 in their matchups in their 89-52 road loss on Dec. 7 at Michigan State while taking down UCLA on Saturday. Nebraska also has a victory over RV Indiana. The Huskers will travel to Iowa City to battle the Hawkeyes Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST, then battle No. 20 Purdue on the road on Sunday.
Associated Press Top 25
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Iowa State
- Duke
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- Marquette
- Florida
- UConn
- Texas A&M
- Kansas
- Houston
- Illinois
- Mississippi State
- Oregon
- Michigan State
- Oklahoma
- Gonzaga
- Memphis
- Purdue
- West Virginia
- UCLA
- Ole Miss
- Michigan
- Utah State
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