How to Watch No. 9 Illinois at No. 5 Nebraska
Game Time: 3 p.m. Sunday
TV Channel: FS1
Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO
Odds: N/A (Illinois 46.4% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor)
Quick Hits:
No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini (18-3, 9-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season)
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Last Game: Illinois 75, Washington 66
Gameday Reading:
How Tyler Underwood helped build Illinois’ historically efficient offense
Keaton Wagler, you are a legend.
No. 5 Nebraska Cornhuskers (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Fred Hoiberg
Leading Scorer: Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
What Happened the Last Time These Two Teams Played?
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Illinois leads the all-time series 23-10.
Dec. 13, 2025: Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Against an unbeaten Nebraska team built on experience, the Illini couldn’t quite complete the comeback in their first Big Ten test at State Farm Center.
No. 13 Illinois dropped its first home game of the season Saturday, falling to No. 23 Nebraska 83-80 as the Cornhuskers stay unbeaten at 11-0. Despite a comeback in the closing minutes of both halves, Illinois couldn’t string together enough stops against one of the league’s most experienced teams.
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First, it was junior forward Pryce Sandfort who gave the Illini trouble, finishing with 26 of Nebraska’s 37 first-half points. In the second half, Nebraska attacked the paint and produced an all-around balanced effort, topped off by a contested three-point dagger by senior guard Jamarques Lawrence to silence State Farm Center with 0.2 seconds remaining and put the Cornhuskers ahead 83-80.
Illinois started the game on the wrong foot, making only one of its first 10 threes. On the other hand, junior forward Pryce Sandfort poured in 26 first-half points with six three-pointers, giving the Huskers a comfortable 20-8 lead early. Illinois didn’t know what to expect from a team that could shoot from everywhere, and on Saturday, Sandfort and the Huskers took advantage of that and made it rain. Sandfort finished with 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting.
“That’s on me, that’s in practice,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “That’s me getting more from them.”
Despite strong offensive performances in the second half from junior guard Andrej Stojakovic and freshman guard Keaton Wagler, the Illini came just short of what would’ve been an impressive comeback. After Tomislav Ivisic’s game-tying three-pointer with 17.4 seconds remaining, State Farm Center lost its life after Lawrence’s fadeaway triple with 0.2 left on the clock.
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Wagler, who finished with 23 points in Tuesday’s Big Ten opener in Columbus, continues to show maturity levels above his age as a freshman. Good decision making, huge shots, consistency all continue to show up, as he finished with 19 points and 10 assists. Stojakovic racked up 10 boards on top of his 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half.
Illinois drops its first home game of the season at State Farm Center, now 6-1 in Champaign, 1-1 in Big Ten play and 8-3 on the season after facing off against five ranked opponents to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
