College basketball rankings: Why Nebraska may have more believers after Cornhuskers' close loss at Michigan
The Cornhuskers dropped in the Top 25 And 1 but remain in the top five in Wednesday's updated rankings
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
The only matchup between top-five teams on this week's schedule originated at Crisler Arena on Tuesday. It was undefeated Nebraska at one-loss Michigan.
And it was a thriller.
Final score: Michigan 75, Nebraska 72.
Despite being down two of their top three scorers -- Rienk Mast and Braden Frager -- and closing as double-digit underdogs, the Cornhuskers actually led by as many as 11 points and for more than 90% of the 40 minutes. They were in it. But Michigan erased that deficit completely in the second half and took the lead when Trey McKenney converted a tie-breaking layup with 67 seconds remaining. And though Nebraska did have one last opportunity to force overtime in the closing seconds, the final possession was an empty one that dropped the Cornhuskers to 20-1.
"We are not an excuse team and [are] not going to say we ran out of gas," said Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg. "It's tough when you don't have some of your guys. But we just tried to fight through it."
As I noted on Inside College Basketball late Tuesday on CBS Sports Network, it's possible Nebraska has more believers now at 20-1 than it had previously at 20-0 because playing Michigan to the buzzer on the road while down two key pieces isn't something to be dismissed.
"[Nebraska] probably has more believers now than they did before this game."@GaryParrishCBS points out that Nebraska's effort despite being down two starters shows their quality. pic.twitter.com/Ntoq6P1OK8
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) January 28, 2026
Even in defeat, that was impressive stuff from the Cornhuskers, who are No. 5 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 17th consecutive day.
Michigan is up to No. 4.
Michigan knocks Nebraska from unbeaten ranks with late rally to win top-five Big Ten battle
Isaac Trotter
"That just proved," said Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg, "we can compete with anyone in the country."
Both Michigan and Nebraska have big games on tap. Up next for the Wolverines is Friday's matchup with Michigan State at the Breslin Center. Next up for the Cornhuskers is Sunday's game with Illinois inside Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
2
Vanderbilt
3
Nebraska
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Monday's 86-83 win at BYU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. | -- | 21-0 |
| 2 |  | Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-81 win over Providence. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Creighton. | 1 | 20-1 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 83-52 win over Louisville. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | 1 | 19-1 |
| 4 |  | Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's 75-72 win over Nebraska. The Wolverines' next game is Friday at Michigan State. | 1 | 19-1 |
| 5 |  | Pryce Sandfort missed 12 of the 18 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 75-72 loss at Michigan. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday against Illinois. | 3 | 20-1 |
| 6 |  | Jalen Warley finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 68-66 win over San Francisco. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. | -- | 21-1 |
| 7 |  | Jeremy Fears Jr. finished with 29 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 88-79 overtime win at Rutgers. The Spartans' next game is Friday against Michigan. | -- | 19-2 |
| 8 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 29 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 84-71 win at Oklahoma State. The Cyclones' next game is Thursday against Colorado. | -- | 19-2 |
| 9 |  | Keaton Wagler finished with 46 points and four assists in Saturday's 88-82 win at Purdue. The Illini's next game is Thursday against Washington. | -- | 18-3 |
| 10 |  | Emanuel Sharp missed 10 of the 16 shots he attempted in Saturday's 90-86 loss at Texas Tech. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday at TCU. | -- | 18-2 |
| 11 |  | JT Toppin finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 90-86 win over Houston. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at UCF. | -- | 16-4 |
| 12 |  | AJ Dybantsa missed 18 of the 24 shots he attempted in Monday's 86-83 loss to Arizona. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | -- | 17-3 |
| 13 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 19 points and five assists in Tuesday's 80-55 win over Kentucky. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. | 2 | 18-3 |
| 14 |  | Flory Bidunga finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 86-62 win at Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against BYU. | -- | 15-5 |
| 15 |  | Fletcher Loyer missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 72-67 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Maryland. | 2 | 17-4 |
| 16 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 21 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 83-79 win at Oklahoma. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 16-5 |
| 17 |  | Boogie Fland missed eight of the 12 shots he attempted in Saturday's 76-67 loss to Florida. The Gators' next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | -- | 15-6 |
| 18 |  | Thijs De Ridder finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 100-97 double-overtime win at Notre Dame. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Boston College. | -- | 17-3 |
| 19 |  | Nick Davidson finished with 13 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 77-63 win at Georgia Tech. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Pitt. | -- | 17-4 |
| 20 |  | Trey Green finished with 23 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 79-76 win over George Washington. The Billikens' next game is Friday against Dayton. | -- | 20-1 |
| 21 |  | Mikel Brown Jr. missed 12 of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 83-52 loss at Duke. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against SMU. | -- | 14-6 |
| 22 |  | Latrell Wrightsell finished with 21 points and two assists in Tuesday's 90-64 win over Missouri. The Crimson Tide's next game is Sunday at Florida. | -- | 14-6 |
| 23 |  | Bryce Hopkins finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 88-83 win at Xavier. The Red Storm's next game is Wednesday against Butler. | -- | 16-5 |
| 24 |  | Jaron Pierre Jr. finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 83-80 win over Florida State. The Mustangs' next game is Saturday at Louisville. | -- | 15-5 |
| 25 |  | Eian Elmer finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 86-84 win over UMass. The Redhawks' next game is Saturday against Northern Illinois. | -- | 21-0 |
| 26 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 85-80 win at Virginia. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Georgia Tech. | -- | 16-4 |
