Nebraska basketball dropped its second straight exhibition game Friday night.
After falling 79-74 to Saint Louis a week ago, the Huskers suffered an 11-point loss to BYU in Provo, Utah. While exhibition games don't count, there are still reasons for concern but still plenty of time to work out the kinks before the regular season begins in early November.
Here are three things we learned from NU's performance at the Marriott Center.
1. BYU is a Bad Matchup for the Huskers (But That's a Good Thing)
Outside of Robert Wright III, a 6-foot-1 guard who averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game last season, BYU is an extremely big, athletic, and physical team. Nebraska struggled against those types of opponent's last season. While Fred Hoiberg dipped into the transfer portal to address that weakness, the early results through two exhibition games haven't been extremely encouraging.
Don't get me wrong, BYU and Saint Louis are good teams. However, against Purdue, Michigan, UCLA, and Michigan State, the Huskers will face athletes with similar or more impressive physical traits. Fortunately, NU can learn from these matchups and make adjustments while the games still don't count.
The Huskers will need to outhustle, outwork, and outrun more physically imposing teams to replicate the success they had in 2025-26. It's not a major concern just yet, but it's certainly something to watch.
2. Nebraska's Sports Cars Need to Be Used
Nebraska won a program-record 28 games a season ago, with First-Team All-Big Ten selection Pryce Sandfort and Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager playing key roles. Through two exhibition games, however, neither has produced enough offensively.
Sandfort, who set a single-season program record for 3-pointers made, averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in 2025-26. Frager had 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per contest.
Through two exhibition games, Sandfort has totaled just 16 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Frager hasn't fared any better, scoring 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
Simply put, NU's offense appears to be placing less emphasis on designed plays to create opportunities for its top scorers. A year ago, Fred Hoiberg consistently found ways to get his best offensive players open looks. That hasn't been the case this fall. The Huskers' ceiling will depend in large part on Sandfort and Frager, and Nebraska needs to do a better job of getting them involved heading into its exhibition game on Oct. 26 with Kansas State.
3. This Team Needs to Learn to Box Out
Another issue has emerged as a potential concern for NU. Like a season ago, the Huskers won't often be the bigger or stronger team against their conference opponents. Despite that, they had players like Rienk Mast (6-foot-10), Berke Buyuktuncel (6-foot-10) and Sam Hoiberg who averaged more than five rebounds per game last season.
Although Nebraska is just minus-four in total rebounds this fall, the Huskers have allowed too many second and third scoring opportunities. Beating quality opponents will prove difficult if they continue to allow an average of 14 offensive rebounds per game.
BYU and Saint Louis turned those extra possessions into an average of 12½ second-chance points. Offensive rebounding wasn't the only reason Nebraska lost both contests, but in close games, those numbers can make the difference. Finding a way to limit second chances will be critical. When opponents miss, the Huskers need to do a better job of finishing the possession by securing the rebound and turning it into points on the other end.
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