I’ve been saying it for years on the Eye On College Basketball Podcast — even before it was probably true. I said it again on Friday morning’s episode. Now everybody, say it with me: “You don’t just walk into Pinnacle Bank.”
Michigan State became the latest to learn this late Friday.
Final score: Nebraska 58, MSU 56.
So Fred Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers are now 14-0 on the season, 3-0 in the Big Ten and 10-0 inside Pinnacle Bank Arena. They’re undeniably one of the sport’s best stories and up to No. 9 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
This is the highest Nebraska has ever been in the Top 25 And 1.
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“We’ve done something that hasn’t been done in this program ever — running the table in non-conference hasn’t been done in almost 100 years, so there’s a lot of things these guys can be proud of,” Hoiberg said. “But at the same time, the most impressive thing about this group is how they’ve handled it. They haven’t gotten big-headed.”
Elsewhere in the Big Ten on Friday, it was another blowout for Michigan. This time the opponent was USC, the team ranked 24th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. This time the final score was Wolverines 96, Trojans 66 — meaning Dusty May’s program is now 13-0 with 10 wins by at least 25 points. Even crazier, Michigan is 3-0 against opponents ranked in the AP poll with all three victories coming by at least 30 points, making the Wolverines the first team in AP poll history to ever win three straight games against ranked opponents by at least 30 points.
“This is a heater,” May acknowledged afterward. “But all glory is fleeting.”
I mean, I guess. But the Wolverines now have a net rating at KenPom.com that’s nearly five full points better than anybody else’s, and they’re projected as favorites in every game going forward even though they still have road matchups against Michigan State, Purdue, Illinois and Iowa.
Needless to say, Michigan remains No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 for the 25th consecutive day. Next up for the Wolverines is Tuesday’s game at Penn State.
