Nebraska

Nebraska Growing Readers program boosting literacy in young children

Published

8 months ago

May 24, 2025

Nebraska Growing Readers program boosting literacy in young children

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Early childhood education is taking flight thanks to a statewide Pilot Program.

The Nebraska Department of Education teamed up with the Nebraska Children and Families’ Foundation, the Statewide Family Engagement Center and Unite for Literacy to provide communities with access to numerous books.

The program focuses on enhancing the literacy of young children by providing a wide array of books to communities across the state.

The Vice President of Early Childhood Programs at Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Stephanni Renn, told Channel 8 this has had a huge impact on younger generations.

“Kids have more access readily available because of their childcare centers and their school districts,” she said. “We do different assessments on our kids, and one of those is the ECI, which is the Early Communication Indicator. Those kids that were receiving books in their home, scored at benchmark under language practices because families are reading more, they’re choosing books and they have access to books.”

The Executive Director of Educare, Quentin Brown, said having a diverse selection of books helps keep kids interested in reading.

“To think that people can come in and naturally and organically say ‘Oh! There’s a book that looks like me, there’s a book that sounds like me, there’s a book that expresses an interest that I’m interested in,’” he said. “So what we’ve seen is that there has been a natural desire as people pass through our lobby. There’s a natural desire to just pick up books and read and engage with them and it’s a special thing when it’s someone with a child.”

Renn said one of the best parts about the program is the easy access for families.

“If you scan the front page of this book, it takes you to our digital library,” she said. “And so then you can read the book in various languages. So maybe if I’m an ESL parent, and English isn’t my first language, I can listen to it in Spanish, I can listen to it in Korean, whatever language I am more comfortable in and then I can also have it in English. So it really is access to books and it’s about shared reading and hoping that families choose books.”

And Brown adds that the program is very inclusive for every community.

“One of the important aspects is that children and families have an opportunity to engage in their home language and in their culture and I think that’s a special thing,” he said.

Tags: Access, Assessmentas, books, Children, communities, Desire, Diverse, Early Childhood Programs, Early Communication Indicator, educare, esl, executive director, families, kids, Korean, languages, literacy, Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Nebraska Department of Education, Quentin Brown, reading, Selection, Statewide Family Engagement Center, Stephanni Renn, Students, Unite for Literacy, vice president

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Nebraska

Illinois knocks off No.5 Nebraska, earns second top-5 road win in nine days

Published

7 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Illinois knocks off No.5 Nebraska, earns second top-5 road win in nine days

LINCOLN, Neb — Revenge!

In a crucial conference matchup with potential Big Ten title implications, it was the visiting Illini that came out on top over the gritty Huskers. With the win, Illinois moves into a tie for first place in the Big Ten.

For the first time in program history Illinois has beaten top-5 teams on the road in back-to-back games. The 78-69 Illinois win over Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon marks Illinois’ 11th straight win. The win streak fittingly started immediately after Nebraska upset Illinois in Champaign in mid-December.

“I think we’ve got some toughness,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood after the win. “I think we’ve got some connectivity…I think this team has tremendous problem-solving ability. I think our basketball IQ is pretty high. I think our toughness is growing. I think we’ve got a little of that, but I think we’ve got still some room to improve.”

Flawless ball movement on the offensive end was critical for the Illini given the team’s shots were not falling all night. A stifling Illinois defensive effort in the second half particularly frustrated Nebraska’s stars as well.

Freshman Keaton Wagler continued his unbelievable stretch of basketball for Illinois (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten), looking completely unfazed for 40 minutes. The star guard was able to consistently break down the Nebraska (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) defense, whether man or zone, en route to a 28 point, five rebound, five assist game.

The first half featured both teams working their way through slow-paced, methodical offensive possessions. That was until Nebraska erupted and went on a 14-2 run over the final 3:08 of the half, giving them a 39-33 lead at the break.

“I think we’re resilient,” Underwood said. “I think we’re holding our poise. I think our purpose has been growing. I think our connectivity has been growing.”

The Huskers, who received four made three-pointers from both Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager, shot an impressive 11-for-20 from beyond the arc in the opening half. The Ivisic twins, Tomislav and Zvonimir, combined for 17 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for the Illini.

A Wagler-led 14-5 run completely changed the feel of the game early in the second half. Another 10-0 run in the final 10 minutes took the life out of the building. Illinois seemingly had an answer for every shot Nebraska made in the final 15 minutes of the contest.

Wagler came out of the halftime break firing on all cylinders. 23 of his 28 points came in the second half — a half in which Illinois outscored Nebraska 45-30.

“I didn’t think he [Wagler] forced anything,” said Underwood. “He just settled in in the second half. Again, just took what the defense gave him. When he was open, he seemed to make it. When he wasn’t, he got fouled. Any time you get fouled 12 times, it’s a pretty good sign.”

Keaton Wagler (ILL) — 28 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists
Tomislav Ivisic (ILL) — 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Braden Frager (NEB) — 20 points, 6-for-12 3PT

An absurd pass from Tomislav Ivisic.

A beautiful find from Mirkovic leads to a powerful slam from Ivisic.

Illinois and Northwestern meet for a second time in three weeks. This time around, Illinois gets to host the in-state rival Wildcats. It’s an “Orange Out” at the State Farm Center at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

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USC vs. Nebraska men’s basketball tickets still available for Saturday, Feb. 28

Published

19 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

USC vs. Nebraska men’s basketball tickets still available for Saturday, Feb. 28

Saturday’s Big Ten slate includes the USC Trojans (16-6, 5-6 Big Ten) facing the Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. ET on BTN.

Buy tickets for USC vs. Nebraska

Shop USC Trojans basketball tickets at SeatGeek

Shop USC Trojans basketball tickets at StubHub

USC vs. Nebraska game information

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026
Time: 4 p.m. ET
How to watch on TV: Big Ten Network
Location: Los Angeles, California
Venue: Galen Center

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

USC leaders

So far this season, Chad Baker-Mazara puts up 18.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. At the other end, he posts 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocked shots.
Offensively, Ezra Ausar averages 16.1 points and six rebounds per contest.
Jacob Cofie puts up 9.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. Defensively, he puts up 1.0 steal and 1.7 blocked shots.
On a per-game basis, Jerry Easter II is posting 5.0 points, 1.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
Jordan Marsh is posting 7.3 points, 2.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game this season.

Nebraska leaders

On the hardwood, Pryce Sandfort puts up 17.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. At the other end, he averages 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocked shots.
Sam Hoiberg puts up 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest. On the defense, he delivers 2.0 steals and 0.1 blocked shots.
Rienk Mast averages 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest, shooting 46.5% from the floor and 33.7% from beyond the arc with 1.8 made 3-pointers per contest this season.
From an offensive standpoint, Berke Buyuktuncel is averaging 7.4 points, 2.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds per contest.
So far this season, Jamarques Lawrence is averaging 10.8 points, 3.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds per contest.

USC vs. Nebraska stats breakdown

The Trojans shoot 47.1% from the field, 7.7% higher than the Cornhuskers concede defensively.
USC is 11-6 against the spread and 16-2 overall when shooting higher than 39.4% from the field.
The Cornhuskers’ 47.5% shooting percentage from the field is 6.1% higher than the Trojans have given up.
This season Nebraska is 13-6 against the spread and 18-1 overall when shooting better than 41.4% from the field.
The Trojans average 34.1 rebounds, 0.5 more than the Cornhuskers’ average.
The Trojans are the 95th-ranked rebounding team in the country, and the Cornhuskers are 112th.
The Trojans score 16.1 more points than the Cornhuskers give up (65.4).
The Cornhuskers post 5.2 more points per game (80.5) than the Trojans concede (75.3).

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How to Watch No. 5 Nebraska Basketball vs. No. 9 Illinois with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

Published

1 day ago

January 31, 2026

Press Room

How to Watch No. 5 Nebraska Basketball vs. No. 9 Illinois with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

Venturing deep into enemy territory for one of the biggest regular-season college basketball games of the year, the No. 5 Nebraska men’s basketball team was rolling, But then No. 3 Michigan came alive — and so did the referee whistles.

Despite the Huskers leading the national-title-contending Wolverines for more than 36 minutes using a seven-man rotation, Nebraska squandered a five-point lead in the final six minutes, missing eight of its nine shots and not scoring for the final 3:20 to drop its first game of the year 75-72.

NU played like the better team for most of the night, and that was without two of its biggest stars in freshman phenom Braden Frager (injury) and Rienk Mast (illness). Plus, the Huskers fell on the wrong side of the whistles, going 3-for-4 from the charity stripe compared to the 19-for-23 showing from the Wolverines, but if all those factors only resulted in a three-point loss to the No. 3 team in the land, then Nebraska should be just fine.

But there’s no time to dwell on NU’s first setback in nearly 10 months as Nebraska continues its toughest stretch of the season by returning to a White Out-themed Pinnacle Bank Arena for another top-ten showdown against No. 9 Illinois. Here’s all you need to know for Sunday’s clash of Big Ten contenders.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 5 Nebraska (20-1, 9-1 B1G) vs. No. 9 Illinois (18-3, 9-1 B1G)
When: Sunday, February 1
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 3 p.m. CST
Watch: FS1
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has the Fighting Illinois in the hunt for the Big Ten regular season crown. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

No. 9 Illinois Scout

Head Coach

Brad Underwood | 9th season at Illinois; 13th as Division I HC.
183-104 (.638) at Illinois; 292-131 (.690) Division I Career Record.
9x NCAA Tournament Apps., 1x Elite Eight.
2x B1G Tournament titles, 1x B1G Regular season, 3x Southland Tournament titles, 3x Southland Regular Season.
3x Southland Coach OTY, Joe B. Hall Coach OTY (2014), Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award (2023.
Previous head coach at Oklahoma State, Stephen F. Austin, Daytona Beach CC and Dodge City CC.
Previous Assistant at South Carolina, Kansas State and Western Illinois.

2024 Record & Awards

22-13 (12-8 B1G, T-7th)
Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.
All-B1G: 1x Third Team, 1x All-Freshman Team, 1x Honorable Mention.

All-Time Series

Illinois leads 23-10.
Dec. 13, 2025, last matchup, 83-80, NU.

Illinois guard Kylan Boswell (4) is a veteran leader for the Illini and is second on the team with over 13 points per game. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Key Returners

Tomislav Ivisic | C | Jr. | 7-foot-1 center that’s dropping in 10 points and five rebounds per game after missing the first few games of the season due to injury.
Kylan Boswell | G | Sr. | Illinois’ second-leading scorer at over 14 points per game this season, while adding 61 assists and being one of three players with double-digit steals (13).
Ben Humrichous | F | Gr. | One of four players with double-digit blocks (14) for Illinois and produces 5.8 points as a key reserve.
Jake Davis | F | Jr. | Average playing time has increased from nine to 17 minutes since last season and adds 4.7 points per outing.

Key Departures

Kasparas Jakucionis | G | NBA Draft | Lithuanian guard that was taken No. 20 overall in the first round by the Miami Heat after leading the Illini with 15 points per game.
Will Riley | F | NBA Draft | Joined Jakucionis as a freshman draftee from Illinois who went at No. 21 overall by the Utah Jazz; won Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in his lone college season.
Tre White | G | Transferred to Kansas after averaging over 10 points and five rebounds per game last season as a 31-game starter for Illinois.
Morez Johnson Jr. | Transfer | Now at in-conference foe Michigan after an impactful freshman season off the bench with nearly seven points and rebounds per game.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn | G | Transfer | Played in all 35 games last season for the Illini, but did so off the bench with a 5.9 PPG average; now at UNLV.

Will Riley was drafted by the Washington Wizards after being named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year for Illinois last season. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Andrej Stojakovic | G | Jr. | Greece native who is third on the team with 13.6 PPG after transferring from Cal, where he emerged as the Bears’ best player with a team-leading 17.9 PPG (6th in ACC) and 1.2 blocks.
Keaton Wagler | G | Fr. | Top recruit out of Kansas that’s become the Fighting Illini’s best player by scoring a team-high 17.7 PPG with a team-high 88 assists and 52 made three-pointers.
David Mirkovic | F | Fr. | Native of Montenegro who has competed in pro leagues around his country before moving to Champaign; 12.5 PPG and averaging a squad-leading 8.2 PPG.
Zvonimir Ivisic | C | Jr. | 7-for-2 center and Croatian native who transferred from Arkansas, chipping in over seven points and nearly five rebounds per game.

Outlook

Looking back now, Nebraska’s 83-80 win over No. 13 Illinois in Champaign back on December 13, 2025, has proven to be one of the most monumental wins in this history-making season for the Huskers. Mostly unproven at that point due to a subpar schedule, Nebraska announced its presence on the national stage with a thrilling win over the Illini, sparking what would be a 20-0 start to the season and a 9-0 opening record in Big Ten play.

While NU’s season surged from that point forward, Illinois was quietly building momentum just behind them. The Fighting Illini are 10-0 since that game, with the Huskers being the only blemish in Illinois’ 9-1 conference record. Granted, only two of the 10 games were against unranked opponents, but its 75-69 win over No. 19 Iowa and 88-82 victory against No. 4 Purdue have Brad Underwood and the Illini rolling among Big Ten contenders.

Illinois true freshman guard Keaton Wagler (23) leads a potent Illini offense with over 17 points per game in his first college season. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Ranked second in both scoring and rebounding in the conference, Illinois presents similar challenges to what ended up being the downfall for NU against Michigan. Facing off against another tall pair in 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic and 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic, plus 6-foot-9 David Mirkovic and 6-foot-7 Andrej Stojakovic, the Huskers will need to rebound better than on Tuesday, which would be greatly helped by the return of Mast and/or Braden Frager. Another big development for Illinois has been the emergence of star freshman Keaton Wagler, who’s now leading his team with over 17 points per game.

Coming off a heartbreaking loss that saw Nebraska in control for most of the game, a return to PBA is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Huskers. However, I think the health of both Frager and Mast will once again play a pivotal role in a game that will be highly contested. Give me Nebraska if one or both return, but I like the Fighting Illini if both star Huskers can’t play.

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