College basketball rankings: Nebraska handles Washington to remain unbeaten, sit alone atop Big Ten standings
The Cornhuskers have their toughest test ahead, however, as a date with Michigan awaits on Tuesday
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Nebraska beat Washington on Wednesday to improve to 19-0 on the season, including an 8-0 record in the Big Ten. This is the best start in school history. The Cornhuskers have a 23-game winning streak dating back to last season that is also the longest winning streak in school history. And, rest assured, if we're still having these conversations after the first day of February, the biggest surprise in the sport should be getting first-place votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after being picked 14th in the Big Ten preseason media poll.
Final score: Nebraska 76, Washington 66.
The Cornhuskers led by 13 points at halftime Wednesday night and more or less cruised to their third straight double-digit win. Pryce Sandfort, a transfer from Iowa who doubles as Nebraska's leading scorer, got 23 points on 13 shots.
Sandfort was 4 of 7 from 3.
So Nebraska sits alone atop the Big Ten standings.
On Inside College Basketball on CBS Sports Network late Wednesday/early Thursday, studio host Adam Zucker, my favorite disc golfer, asked how long I believe this will last. Looking at the schedule, "not much longer" seems like the right answer considering the Cornhuskers will play at Michigan on Tuesday and be sizable underdogs. But, regardless of what happens next, what Fred Hoiberg has done through the first two-plus months of this season is nothing short of incredible. Right now, he's the National Coach of the Year and in charge of the team slotted second in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 12th consecutive day.
Next up for Nebraska is Saturday's could-be-tricky game at Minnesota. Then, the Cornhuskers are at Michigan on Tuesday. Then it's a game against Illinois inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. Simply put, the only way for the Cornhuskers to go from 19-0 to 22-0 is to win all three of those games. And, like I noted earlier, if they do, first-place AP votes will follow.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Motiejust Krivas finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 77-51 win over Cincinnati. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against West Virginia. | -- | 19-0 |
| 2 | | Pryce Sandfort finished with 23 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 76-66 win over Washington. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at Minnesota. | -- | 19-0 |
| 3 |  | Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 64-62 win at Georgetown. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Villanova. | -- | 18-1 |
| 4 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's 80-50 win at Stanford. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Wake Forest. | -- | 17-1 |
| 5 |  | Elliott Cadeau finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 86-72 win over Indiana. The Wolverines' next game is Friday against Ohio State. | -- | 17-1 |
| 6 |  | Braden Smith missed eight of the 13 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 69-67 loss at UCLA. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | -- | 17-2 |
| 7 |  | Davis Fogle finished with 17 points and four assists in Wednesday's 84-60 win over Pepperdine. The Zags' next game is Saturday against San Francisco. | -- | 20-1 |
| 8 |  | Carson Cooper finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 68-52 win at Oregon. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Maryland. | -- | 17-2 |
| 9 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 20 points and eight assists in Sunday's 103-73 win over Arizona State. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Texas Tech. | -- | 17-1 |
| 10 |  | Richie Saunders missed eight of the 15 shots he attempted in Saturday's 84-71 loss at Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Utah. | -- | 16-2 |
| 11 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 17 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 87-57 win over UCF. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | -- | 17-2 |
| 12 |  | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 30 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 89-70 win over Maryland. The Illini's next game is Saturday at Purdue. | -- | 16-3 |
| 13 |  | Christian Anderson finished with 26 points and six assists in Tuesday's 92-73 win at Baylor. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 15-4 |
| 14 |  | Reuben Chinyelu finished with 15 points and 21 rebounds in Tuesday's 79-61 win over LSU. The Gators' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 14-5 |
| 15 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 72-68 win at SMU. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against North Carolina. | -- | 16-2 |
| 16 |  | Melvin Council Jr. finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 75-69 win at Colorado. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Kansas State. | -- | 14-5 |
| 17 |  | Labaron Philon Jr. finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 83-81 win at Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 13-5 |
| 18 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 17 points and five assists in Tuesday's 93-68 win over Vanderbilt. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 14-5 |
| 19 |  | Duke Miles missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Tuesday's 93-68 loss at Arkansas. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at Mississippi State. | -- | 16-3 |
| 20 |  | Jestin Porter missed 10 of the 13 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 80-76 overtime loss to NC State. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Georgia Tech. | -- | 16-4 |
| 21 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 24 points and six assists in Saturday's 100-59 win at Pitt. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 13-5 |
| 22 |  | Dion Brown finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 91-77 win at Duquesne. The Billikens' next game is Friday at St. Bonaventure. | -- | 18-1 |
| 23 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 65-60 win vs. Seton Hall. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday at Xavier. | -- | 14-5 |
| 24 |  | B.J. Edwards finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 91-79 win at Wake Forest. The Mustangs' next game is Saturday against Florida State. | -- | 14-5 |
| 25 |  | Jeremiah Wilkinson finished with 14 points and one steal in Tuesday's 74-72 win at Missouri. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at Texas. | -- | 16-3 |
| 26 |  | Peter Suder finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 107-101 overtime win at Kent State. The Redhawks' next game is Tuesday against UMass. | -- | 20-0 |
