Two top-five squads with just one combined loss between them will face off in Ann Arbor's Crisler center in a battle of Big Ten heavyweights.
Nebraska (20-0, 9-0 in Big Ten) has won five straight games by double digits and most recently beat Minnesota by 19 points in a second-half surge on the road. This, paired with both Purdue and Houston losses, vaulted Big Red into the No. 5 spot in the AP Poll.
Michigan (18-1, 8-1 in Big Ten) has won its last four, most recently toppling Ohio State by 12 points. The Wolverines started the season 14-0 and spent four weeks at No. 2 in the AP Poll before dropping a game at home to Wisconsin, sliding to No. 4 for a week and then re-settling in at No. 3.
Nebraska and Michigan have a short history in basketball, owing largely to the Cornhuskers only joining the Big Ten in 2011 after being a founding member of what would become the Big 12. History favors Michigan heavily, with the Wolverines having won 23 of the 28 all-time meetings and 17 of the 20 games played since Nebraska joined the Big Ten. However, recent history may side with the visitors, as the Huskers have won two of the last three including a sweep of Michigan in the 2023-24 season.
Both teams will be desperate to start their murderers' rows off properly, with Nebraska slated for seven more Quad 1 games including the Wolverines and Michigan slated for nine Quad 1 tilts including hosting the Huskers.
Get all the information you need about No. 5 Nebraska, No. 3 Michigan and how to watch the game below.
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No. 5 Nebraska:
Off to their best start in program history, the Cornhuskers have been one of the more surprising teams this season, have climbed to a program-record No. 5 in the AP Poll and are one of just three programs still undefeated alongside No. 1 Arizona and No. 24 Miami (OH).
While playing on the road is a bane for some teams, Nebraska doesn't shy away from hostile territory. They have earned road wins over No. 13 Illinois and Ohio State, among others, and have won their last 12 away or neutral-site games. They have also beaten the Wisconsin team that got the better of Michigan.
In the road win over Minnesota, former Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort (14th in the Big Ten in scoring and 1st in made 3-pointers) led the way with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double in his fourth straight 20+ point game, and fifth-year senior Rienk Mast is in the midst of a career year. Both Sam Hoiberg (4.2 ast/gm) and Jamarques Lawrence (3.7 ast/gm) are both top-15 facilitators in the conference, and Hoiberg is coming off a career-high tying seven in the Huskers' last outing.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg has his squad humming, and the Huskers have stacked up an impressive resume with a 6-0 record against Quad 1 teams and 6-0 against Quad 2 teams. The game against Michigan will be the litmus test for how strong this Nebraska team really is.
No. 3 Michigan:
Second-year head coach Dusty May has quickly translated his lower-level successes at FAU into a sharp Power 4 acumen. Michigan is one of just three programs, alongside their upcoming opponent and Arizona, to have a record of 5-0 or better against Quad 1 opponents and spent most of the season atop the NET Rankings before just dropping last week.
The Wolverines hit a stride early on, rolling No. 21 Auburn by 30 and proceeding to crush No. 12 Gonzaga by 40 points at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, smoking current Mountain West leader San Diego State by 40 as well, and beating No. 24 USC by a familiar 30 points.
UCLA transfer Aday Mara — who's sixth in the nation in blocks — swatted down four shots to pair with his 11 points and two steals in Michigan's tense outing against rival Ohio State that featured 11 lead-changes. UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg led the way with 18 points and forced three steals on the Buckeyes while Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. netted 12 points and hauled in seven rebounds as a key secondary option.
Michigan is a serious title contender this year, and passing the test against the red-hot Huskers would put them one step closer to claiming the conference crown and help re-instill any bits of Big Blue's confidence that may have been a bit shaken after the loss against Wisconsin in front of their home crowd.
How to watch No. 5 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Michigan:
- When: Tuesday, Jan. 27
- Where: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- YouTubeTV: NBCSN
- Live Stream:Peacock
What other games are Tuesday on Peacock?
- No. 12 Purdue vs. Indiana, 9 p.m.
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