It may have taken AP voters two games to take notice, but the Nebraska men’s basketball team earned a well-deserved spot at No. 25 in this week’s AP Top 25.

That's because the Cornhuskers are coming off a solid early-season victory against NCAA Tournament dark horse Providence, 67-58 Saturday afternoon in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Nebraska's defense came through in a big way by scoring 20 points off 18 Friar turnovers and holding their fast-paced offense to a 30.6% mark from the field.

Star forward Pryce Sandfort carried the Huskers' offense with a game-high 25 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Boden Kapke scored 13 points while grabbing five rebounds. Guard Braden Frager struggled from the field, but the Lincoln native still added 12 points with four steals, while Cale Jacobsen chipped in 11.

Nebraska now returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena for a midweek contest before heading to Sioux Falls for the weekend. Here's all you need to know.

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: No. 25 Nebraska (2-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Lindenwood (2-1, 0-0 OVC)
• When: Wednesday, Nov. 11
• Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE
• Time: 8 p.m. CST 
• Watch: FS1
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
• How to Sync Husker Radio with TV Broadcast

Lindenwood Scout

Head Coach

• Kyle Gerdeman | 8th season at Lindenwood; 11th as Head Coach 
• 89-118 (.430) at Lindenwood; 130-167 (.438) as Head Coach
• Previous Head Coach at Moberly Area CC
• Previous assistant at Central Michigan, SE Missouri State, Mineral Area College, Moberly Area CC & East Central College

2025 Finish

• Did not qualify for the postseason

2025 Record & Awards

• Record: 18-15 (11-9 OVC, 6th)
• All-OVC: 2x First Team, 1x Second Team, 1x All-Newcomer

All-Time Series

• Nebraska leads 1-0
• Nov. 6, 2023, last matchup; 84-52 NU

Key Returners

• None.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Makhan Diouf | F | Jr. | The Fresno State transfer leads the Lions with 15.5 PPG through two games, including seven rebounds per contest as well.
• Kellen Robinson | G | Soph. | Despite not starting in his two appearances this season, the Little Rock transfer is second on the team with 12.5 points per game.
• Shamiere Green | G | Jr. | The New York native averaged double-digit scoring in his two seasons at Lee College before transferring to Lindenwood, where he's hit a team-high eight three-pointers as part of the starting lineup.
• Malek Archie | G | Jr. | A rare midseason transfer last season, Archie joined the Lions from Tarleton State last year. Has averaged over 12 points per game through three contests so far in 2026.
• Xavier Spencer | G | Sr. | The veteran transfer from UMass Lowell averaged nearly 12 PPG as a starter for the Red Hawks before transferring to Lindenwood. He leads the Lions with 72 minutes played through three games this year.
• Noah Taitz | G | Gr. | After a brief two years at LMU to start his college career, the Las Vegas native was a bench contributor for Utah Valley for the last two seasons before committing to Lindenwood for his final college campaign.
• Dom Clay | G | Soph. | The young guard from Illinois did not appear in a game last season for North Dakota State, but he's started in two of his three games this year with Lindenwood.
• Derek Rollins | F | Fr. | The first-year forward from Millard North returns to his home state as one of the leading rebounders for the Lions (5.3 RPG) while adding nearly 10 points per game.
• Matar Diop | F | Sr. | The former Cornhuskers spent his freshman season in Lincoln before spending one year at LMU, one year at Stetson and now at Lindenwood.
• Parker Seithel | C | Fr. | The 6-foot-11 freshman from Kansas has seen action in all three games this season for the Lions, including an 11-rebound performance in the team's last outing.

Key Departures

• Anias Futrell | G | Graduated | The star guard for the Lions led the team with over 17 points per game en route to All-OVC First Team honors. He also finished runner-up in OVC Player of the Year voting.
• Jadis Jones | G | Transfer | The Missouri native was the second of two Lindenwood selections to the All-OVC First Team last season, but he transferred to USC over the offseason after averaging over 15 points and eight rebounds per game.
• Dontrez Williams | G | Transfer | Took his talents to UNLV over the offseason following a sophomore campaign that saw him score over 15 points per contest.
• Milos Nenadic | C | Graduated | The Canadian center was one of four double-digit scorers for the Lions last season with 12 PPG while adding over six rebounds as a full-time starter.
• Mekhi Cooper | G | Transfer | Lindenwood's point guard last season with nearly four assists per contest transferred to Louisiana after a standout junior season.

Outlook

After leading Lindenwood through the transition from Division II to Division I, head coach Kyle Gerdeman has found solid footing with the Lions after two poor seasons at the top level of college sports. Following back-to-back seasons that saw Lindenwood go a combined 20-43, the Lions have bounced back with seasons of 15-16 and 18-15 for a 33-31 record.

Unfortunately for Gerdeman, every single member of his most successful roster at Lindenwood is now gone. That includes All-OVC First Team picks Anias Futrell (Graduation) and Jadis Jones (USC). Starting guards Dontrez Williams and Mekhi Cooper followed Jones by transferring to bigger programs in UNLV and Louisiana, while 6-foot-11 center Milos Nenadic graduated after scoring 12 points per game and grabbing six rebounds.

That forced Gerdeman to pull off a complete rebuilding of the roster going into the 2026-2027 season. Leading that pack has been Fresno State forward Mekhan Diouf with over 15 PPG despite playing in only two of the team's three contests this season. The same goes for reserve Kellen Robinson, who's averaging 12.5 points per game through two contests despite playing at Little Rock during his freshman campaign.

Lee College transfer Shamiere Green is the sharpshooter for the Lions with a team-high eight three-pointers made. One of the rare midseason transfers last season, Malek Archie joined the Lions from Tarleton State and now averages 12 points per contest through three games this year. Senior guard Xavier Spencer leads the team with 72 minutes played after pouring in nearly 12 PPG as a starter at UMass Lowell last season. Joining the Lions after two seasons coming off the bench for LMU, guard Noah Taitz has seen over 21 minutes per game this year as a non-starter.

A pair of players with a Nebraska connection both return to a state with basketball beginnings. Forward Matar Diop was a freshman on Fred Hoiberg's first NCAA Tournament team in 2024 that lost to Texas A&M in the first round. He spent one season at LMU and one year at Stetson before joining Lindenwood for his fourth school in as many years. Plus, freshman forward Derek Rollins returns after playing his high school career at Millard North. He's one of the team's leading rebounders so far through three games with over five per contest. 6-foot-11 freshman center Parker Seithel helps in that department with over five per game as well, including an 11-rebound performance last time out against East-West University — which is a real school.

I'm impressed by Gerdeman's work in the transfer portal, but Lindenwood will be a team that should experience more mid-season development than most other squads knowing the turnover they had. Wednesday will be a learning lesson for the Lions, who will try to surprise people this season after being tabbed to finish sixth in the OVC preseason poll. Put me down for a massive Nebraska win.