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Nebraska Hoops Game Day: New Mexico

Robin Washut profile picby: Robin Washut6 hours agoRobinWashut
Pryce Sandfort Nebraska basketball
guard Pryce Sandfort scored a game-high 28 points in Nebraska's win over Oklahoma in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photo: Nebraska Athletics)

On the heels of its wild win over Oklahoma in Sioux Falls, Nebraska faces its next non-conference test tonight against New Mexico at the Hall of Fame Classic.

Here is what you need to know going into the Huskers’ showdown with the Lobos in Kansas City, Missouri…

Who, What, Where, When

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0) vs. New Mexico Lobos (3-1)

Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025 – 6:00 p.m. CT

T-Mobile Center (18,972)

TV: Peacock/NBC Sports Network (YouTube TV)

Radio: Huskers Radio Network

Internet/Streaming: Peacock

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Nebraska projected starters

Jamarques LawrenceGSr.6-3/185Scored all 14 of his points in the second half in the win over Oklahoma, including three 3-pointers. He’s second on the team with 3.5 apg and owns a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Sam HoibergGSr.6-0/180The 6-foot senior is averaging a career-best 7.8 ppg while leading Nebraska with 2.0 spg and ranking second on the team with 3.5 apg and 5.8 rpg.
Pryce SandfortGJr.6-7/210He’s averaged 22.3 ppg on 59.5% shooting, including hitting 13-of-26 3-pointers, with 6.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, and 0 turnovers over the last three outings.
Berke BuyuktuncelFSo.6-10/240He matched his career high with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting while going 5-of-6 on free throws with four rebounds over 32 minutes of work vs. Oklahoma.
Rienk MastFSr.6-10/250 He scored a season-high 26 points while shooting 5-of-7 from
3-point range to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the win over Oklahoma.

New Mexico projected starters

Chris HowellGSr.6-6/215He followed UNM head coach Eric Olen from UC-San Diego after helping lead the Tritons to the NCAA Tournament last season. He averages 7.0 ppg and a team-high 4.0 apg.
Deyton AlburyGSr.6-3/190A fifth-year senior transfer from Utah State who leads the team with 13.0 points, along with 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
Jake HallGFr.6-4/200A freshman who ranks third on the team in scoring at 11.0 points per game and leads the Lobos with six made 3-pointers on the year.
Antonio CholGJr.6-9/215He’s tied with Hall with six made 3-pointers while averaging 9.5 points and a team-high 1.2 blocks per game this season.
Tomislav BuljanFFr.6-9/250The freshman averages 11.8 points and a team-high 10.8 rebounds per game for three double-doubles over his first four outings this season.

3 keys to victory

Stay hot from 3

There is no secret to Nebraska’s offensive success at this point. When it makes its 3-pointers at a high clip, it can play with anyone. When the Huskers are cold from deep, they’re going to struggle. There was a direct correlation between NU’s 3-point percentage and how the game went vs. Oklahoma. Once again, Nebraska flipped a switch in the second half and took the game over from beyond the arc, going 9-for-14 (71.4%) after the break. If the Huskers can come anywhere close to that tonight, they should be in good shape. New Mexico ranks 267th nationally in 3-point percentage (29.3%) and 200th with just 38.7% of its shots coming from deep. For comparison, NU ranks 55th (38.4%) and 28th (49.8%) in those categories.

Continue to value the basketball

While New Mexico might not light it up from 3-point range, the Lobos thrive in turning defense into offense with heavy ball pressure. UNM ranks 24th nationally in defensive turnover rate (23.4), capitalizing on jumping passing lanes to initiate transition offense. The good news for Nebraska is it’s been excellent at taking care of the basketball this season. The Huskers are 21st nationally in offensive turnover rate (12.6), including only giving it away five times (to 20 assists) against Oklahoma. Protecting the ball and making UNM earn it on offense will help keep the game under control.

Defend without fouling

Another way New Mexico manufactures offense is by attacking the rim and converting at the free-throw line. Led by guard Deyton Albury (8.0 FT attempts per game), the Lobos get to the line for an average of 21 free throws per game. As a result, 20.3 percent of their points have come at the charity stripe this season. Nebraska has been excellent at defending without fouling this season, ranking ninth nationally in defensive free-throw rate (FT attempts/FG attempts) at 19.1. However, teams have made the most of their opportunities at the line. The Huskers rank 363rd out of 365 D1 teams in opponent FT percentage (83.7%). It may seem like an arbitrary stat, but it still underscores the importance of not giving teams free points off bad fouls, especially one as aggressive as New Mexico.

Quotable

“When we recruited Pryce the first time around in high school, I saw a really complete all-around player… I saw him as a guy you could use as a facilitator of your offense and a guy that can drive it. He’s more athletic than you think, and I think he showcased that the other day on some of those straight-line drives to the basket. But Pryce really is a complete basketball player… Pryce has been everything that we hoped and probably even more.”

-Head coach Fred Hoiberg on when he first realized junior guard Pryce Sandfort’s all-around potential.

Prediction

Nebraska (-6.5) 82, New Mexico 71

Robin’s season record: 4-0

Vs. the spread: 4-0

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