Big Second Half Pushes No. 12 Nebrasketball Past USC in L.A.

Nebrasketball dominated the second half at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Saturday.

No. 12 Nebraska outscored USC 51-31 over the final 20 minutes to win, 82-67. The Huskers improved to 25-4 on the year and 14-4 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Trojans fell to 18-11 overall and 7-11 in the league.

The 14 conference wins are a program record for NU.

1. The Game
2. The Stats
3. What’s Next
4. Big Ten Standings
5. The Tournament Picture
6. Video Analysis
7. Nebraska Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

The Game

Nebraska didn’t need five minutes to score this time, but neither did USC. After an 8-0 run, the Huskers led by five points and more than 13 minutes to go in the half.

But just over a minute later, Sam Hoiberg committed his second foul. That sent him to the bench with 11:40 left.

The Trojans took advantage.

After Hoiberg’s foul, USC closed the half by outscoring Nebraska 26-16. Still, the lead never reached double figures, with Pryce Sandfort getting a layup in the final minute to send the teams to the break with a 36-31 score.

Out of the half, with Hoiberg back on the floor, Nebraska was different.

A Sandfort steal on the opening possession turned into a Hoiberg layup. That sparked a 12-2 run for Nebraska.

After the difference grew to nine points in favor of Nebraska, USC showed some signs of life with back-to-back baskets in a span of 12 seconds. But then came the kill shot*.

*College basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa classifies a kill shot as any run of at least 10-0.

The Huskers ripped off a 15-0 run to push the lead to 66-46. The Trojans turned up the full-court pressure, but never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

The Stats

Nebraska shot 44.1% for the game, including 8-of-23 on three-pointers. USC made 45.1% of its shots, making 4-of-21 from deep.

The teams were close in turnovers (USC 14, NU 12), fouls (NU 17, USC 15), and free throws (USC 17-of-18, NU 14-of-15).

A giant difference came in the number of shots taken, with Nebraska getting 17 more shots up, thanks to an 18-5 advantage on offensive rebounds. The Huskers grabbed 41 total rebounds to just 25 for the Trojans.

Sandfort scored a game-high 32 points, making five three-pointers. He is now six made triples away from setting a new Big Ten single-season record.

Frager continued his sixth-man of the year campaign with 17 points off the bench, grabbing a game-high eight rebounds.

What’s Next

Nebraska continues its stay in Los Angeles with UCLA on Tuesday.

The Bruins are 19-10 on the year and 11-7 in the Big Ten. They’re coming off a 78-73 loss at Minnesota from earlier on Saturday.

Tip from Pauley Pavilion is set for 10 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on FS1.

Big Ten Standings

The win moves Nebraska into sole possession of second place in the Big Ten Conference. The Huskers are a half-game ahead of Michigan State, which is at Indiana tomorrow.

Michigan clinched the regular-season title and top seed in the Big Ten Conference Tournament earlier this week. The Wolverines are 17-1.

Besides NU, UM, and MSU, others fighting for a top-four seed in the league tournament are Illinois (13-5), Purdue (12-5), and Wisconsin (12-6). The top four seeds receive a triple-bye to the conference tournament quarterfinals.

The Tournament Picture

Nebraska entered the day squarely on the 3-line, though some bracketologists started to put NU as a 4-seed. When the NCAA selection committee revealed its top 16 to this point in the season a week ago, the Big Red were 11th overall.

By the metrics, the Huskers opened Saturday at 12th in the NET, 18th in KPI, 5th in SOR, 11th in WAB, 17th in BPI, 12th in the KenPom, and 16th in the Torvik.

While Nebraska is fighting for as high a seed as possible, the order of the teams with the Huskers is just as important. The two closest first weekend sites are St. Louis and Oklahoma City. NU is fighting with, and likely behind at the moment, Kansas, Iowa State, Houston, Illinois, and Purdue.

Video Analysis

Jack Mitchell and Kaleb Henry recap the game.

Nebraska Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

• Oct. 18 Nebraska 90, BYU 89
• Oct. 27 Nebraska 91, Midland 50
• Nov. 3 Nebraska 86, West Georgia 53
• Nov. 8 Nebraska 96, Florida International 66
• Nov. 11 Nebarska 69, Maryland-Eastern Shore 50
• Nov. 15 Nebraska 105, Oklahoma 99 (Sanford Pentagon)
• Nov. 20 Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72 (Hall of Fame Classic)
• Nov. 21 Nebraska 86, Kansas State 85 (Hall of Fame Classic)
• Nov. 25 Nebraska 80, Winthrop 73
• Nov. 29 Nebraska 72, South Carolina Upstate 63
• Dec. 7 Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
• Dec. 10 Nebraska 90, Wisconsin 60
• Dec. 13 Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
• Dec. 21 Nebraska 78, North Dakota 55
• Dec. 30 Nebraska 86, New Hampshire 55
• Jan. 2 Nebraska 58, Michigan State 56
• Jan. 5 Nebraska 72, Ohio State 69
• Jan. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77
• Jan. 13 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55
• Jan. 17 Nebraska 77, Northwestern 58
• Jan. 21 Nebraska 76, Washington 66
• Jan. 24 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57
• Jan. 27 Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
• Feb. 1 Illinois 78, Nebraska 69
• Feb. 7 Nebraska 80, Rutgers 68
• Feb. 10 Purdue 80, Nebraska 77
• Feb. 14 Nebraska 68, Northwestern 49
• Feb. 17 Iowa 57, Nebraska 52
• Feb. 21 Nebraska 87, Penn State 64
• Feb. 25 Nebraska 74, Maryland 61
• Feb. 28 Nebraska 82, USC 67
• March 3 UCLA 10 p.m. FS1
• March 8 Iowa 4 p.m. FOX
• March 10-15 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago

Home games are bolded. All times central.