North Dakota
Nebraska Hoops Game Day: North Dakota
Coming off of one of its best weeks in program history, Nebraska looks to keep its record-setting start rolling tonight against North Dakota.
Here is what you need to know going into the game as the Huskers try to improve to a perfect 12-0…
Who, What, Where, When
Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-0, 2-0 Big Ten) vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks (5-9, 0-0 Summit League)
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 – 7:00 p.m. CT
Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,500)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: Huskers Radio Network
Internet/Streaming: Big Ten Plus
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Nebraska projected starters
| Jamarques Lawrence | G | Sr. | 6-3/185 | Lawrence scored 14 points with six assists in the win over Illinois, including a buzzer-beater 3-pointer. His game-winning three was NU’s first since Jan. 15, 2018 (James Palmer Jr. vs. Illinois). |
| Sam Hoiberg | G | Sr. | 6-0/180 | After his seven points, six assists, and five rebounds at Illinois, Hoiberg now leads the nation with a 5.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He’s also fourth in the Big Ten with 1.7 spg. |
| Pryce Sandfort | G | Jr. | 6-7/210 | Sandfort scored 26 of Nebraska’s first 37 points en route to a career-high 32 in the upset at Illinois. He’s now 11th in the Big Ten in scoring (17.1 ppg) and 12th in 3-point percentage (39.3%). |
| Berke Buyuktuncel | F | Jr. | 6-10/240 | Foul trouble and an elbow to the face limited Buyuktuncel at Illinois, but he still finished with three points, three rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in the win. |
| Rienk Mast | F | Sr. | 6-10/250 | Mast scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half at Illinois, along with his team-high seven rebounds. He’s now 10th in the Big Ten at 17.9 ppg while shooting 54.6% overall and 41.7% from three. |
North Dakota projected starters
| Eli King | G | Sr. | 6-3/193 | A former transfer from Iowa State, King is UND’s lone returning starter from last season. He averages 11.1 points and a team-high 2.7 steals per game. |
| Greyson Uelmen | G | RFr. | 6-2/185 | After redshirting last season, Uelmen leads the Fighting Hawks at 13.1 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. He also dishes out 2.2 apg. |
| Zach Kraft | G | So. | 6-3/185 | Kraft averages 8.0 points per game and leads North Dakota with 32 made 3-pointers at a 39.0% clip this season. |
| Garrett Anderson | G | Sr. | 6-6/195 | A transfer from Central Washington, Anderson averages 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He’s also second on the team with 20 made 3-pointers. |
| George Natsvlishvili | F | Jr. | 6-10/239 | A native of the nation of Georgia, Natsvlishvili joined North Dakota last season. The junior currently averages 8.6 points on 57.3% shooting with 4.9 rebounds per game. |
3 keys to victory
Don’t get ‘fat and happy’
To borrow a quote from former Husker guard Emmanuel Bandoumel a few years ago, Nebraska cannot get “fat and happy” after its 11-0 start to the season. As impressive as NU has been thus far, it must stay dialed in amid finals week and the looming holiday break. The good news is that Nebraska was in nearly this exact situation two seasons ago when North Dakota came to Lincoln and led by as many as 14 points in the second half. The Huskers rallied back for an 83-75 victory, but that game was a major wake-up call during their NCAA Tournament run. NU must lock in from the opening tip until the final buzzer to do what it’s supposed to do and remain perfect.
Protect the basketball
If there’s one way North Dakota can make things interesting tonight, it will be by flustering Nebraska’s ball handlers with heavy pressure and forcing turnovers. The Fighting Hawks rank 25th nationally in defensive turnover percentage (21.3%) and 45th in defensive steal percentage (12.2%). The Huskers have been good about taking care of the basketball this season, ranking 21st in offensive TO% (13.9) and 27th in offensive steal percentage (7.3). UND runs many of the same defensive schemes as Nebraska, so NU should be no strangers to what it sees tonight. However, the Huskers must handle the pressure to keep the game under control.
Win the glass
While Nebraska shocked the college basketball world with its 83-80 win at Illinois, the Huskers made life unnecessarily difficult on themselves in the victory. That’s because the Fighting Illini managed to score 19 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds. That included seven offensive boards for 14 points during UI’s 14-point comeback in the first half. North Dakota is hardly the rebounding team Illinois is, ranking 314th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (25.6%). Still, Nebraska can’t let UND or any opponent get so many extra shots.
Quotable
“The getaway game is always a dangerous one. I dealt with it in the NBA with the All-Star break. You look forward to having a few days off and an opportunity to spend time with family, but you have to stay focused and go out and take care of business.”
-Head coach Fred Hoiberg on Nebraska needing to lock in for its finals week showdown against North Dakota.
Prediction
Nebraska (-29.5) 91, North Dakota 65
Robin’s season record: 10-1
Vs. the spread: 9-2
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