The new-look Nebraska basketball team shook off a slow start to cruise to victory in its 2026-27 season opener.

Despite an ugly 1-for-6 showing from beyond the arc, First Team All-Big Ten returner Pryce Sandfort poured in 20 points to lead all scorers in what turned out to be a 106-64 rout of Le Moyne. Ashland native and starting guard Cale Jacobsen showed his improvement from over the offseason by scoring 16 with a trio of rebounds and assists. Connor Essegian — who recovered from a season-ending injury last year — added 13 points off the bench, while freshman Jacob Lanier and Damon Wilkinson each chipped in 11 points.

The Cornhuskers' defense forced 17 turnovers and shot over 62% from the field in the first half to secure a 58-32 halftime lead. Despite the team's two best three-point shooters going a combined 2-for-11, Nebraska shot 14-for-30 from deep, including an 8-for-16 showing in the second half.

Now, the Cornhuskers will carry that good momentum into their first real test of the season when they face Providence in Saturday's Hall of Fame Classic. Here's all you need to know.

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: Nebraska (1-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. Providence (1-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
• When: Saturday, November 7
• Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn.
• Time: 6 p.m. CST 
• Watch: FS1
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
• How to Sync Husker Radio with TV Broadcast

Providence Scout

Head Coach

• Bryan Hodgson | 1st Season at Providence; 4th as Head Coach 
• 1-0 (1.000) at Providence; 71-37 (.657) as Head Coach
• 1x NCAA Tournament Appearance
• Previous Head Coach at South Florida & Arkansas State
• Previous assistant at Alabama, Buffalo, Midland, Jamestown CC & Fredonia State

2025 Finish

• Did not qualify for the postseason.

2025 Record & Awards

• Record: 15-18 (7-13 BIG EAST, T-7th) 
• All-BIG EAST: 1x Second Team, 2x Freshman Team

All-Time Series

• First meeting

Key Returners

• Ryan Mela | G | Jr. | The 6-foot-7 returning guard averaged nearly 10 points and over five rebounds per game while starting in 22 of 32 games played last season.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Miles Byrd | G | Gr. | The All-BIG EAST Second Team Preseason pick joined the Friars after four seasons with South Dakota State. Was named the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2025-2026, as well as being named to the All-MW Third Team.
• Malik Mack | G | Sr. | The former Ivy League Rookie of the Year at Harvard transferred to Georgetown, where he averaged double-digit points for two seasons. Joined Providence over the offseason and starts the season in the starting lineup.
• Leonardo Marangon | F | Fr. | The Italian played professionally in his home country for three years before joining the Friars to begin his collegiate career.
• Arrinten Page | F | Sr. | Arriving at this fourth school in as many seasons, the Atlanta native played sparingly at USC and Cincinnati before breaking out to average over 10 points per game last year at Northwestern. Played in just six minutes as a starter in the season opener versus Maine.
• Jacob Bannarbie | F | R-Jr. | The 6-foot-9 forward was a part-time starter for UNLV over the last two seasons before transferring to Providence. Played the second-most minutes off the bench against Maine and scored a team-high 14 points.
• Gavin Hightower | G | Soph. | Following Hodgson from South Florida, Hightower played 30 minutes off the bench in the season opener with five points and three rebounds.
• Javon Bardwell | F | Fr. | The former four-star recruit from New York saw 13 minutes off the bench in his college debut against Maine. He scored 12 points to represent one of five double-digit scorers for the Friars.

Key Departures

• Jaylin Sellers | G | Graduated | The former UCF transfer shined in his final collegiate season by leading the Friars with over 18 points per game while earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors.
• Jason Edwards | G | Graduated | A Preseason All-BIG EAST pick last year, Edwards ranked second on the team with 16.5 PPG.
• Stefan Vaaks | G | Transfer | The Estonian guard was a top-15 player in the transfer portal over the offseason and eventually landed at Illinois after pouring in nearly 16 points per game with a team-leading 91 three-pointers and 99 assists.
• Jamier Jones | G | Transfer | One of two Friars to be named to the All-BIG EAST Freshman team last year, Jones made his way to Missouri. Tallied nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game across 31 contests.

Outlook

Holding a proud history in men's basketball, the Providence program hit a hard reset after firing head coach Kim English following the 2025-2026 season. Having to swallow an estimated $6 million buyout, the Friars endured a miserable season. Tabbed to finish fourth in the BIG EAST, Providence nosedived to seventh and missed the postseason entirely.

It was easy to see why the expectations were so high. Fifth-year guards Jaylin Sellers (18.3 PPG) and Jason Edwards (16.5 PPG) were high-scoring threats, while freshman stars Stefan Vaaks (Estonia) and Jamier Jones (11.9 PPG) also averaged double-digit scoring. Now, Sellers and Edwards graduated, while Vaaks landed at Illinois and Jones to Missouri after entering the transfer portal.

Having to rebuild its roster and culture, the Friars turned to a proven program builder in Bryan Hodgson. A young coach with 18 years of college coaching and five as an assistant at Alabama, Hodgson won more than 20 games in each of his two seasons at Arkansas State before leading South Florida to a 25-9 record in his lone season. That year also included both American regular season and tournament titles as well as coach of the year honors. Aside from returning Ryan Mela — who averaged 9.9 points and over five rebounds last year for Providence — Hodgson attacked the portal hard.

SDSU transfer Miles Byrd was the biggest pickup after he won Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors last season. He was named to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Second Team. Malik Mack is a proven scoring guard in the BIG EAST after averaging over 10 points per game across two seasons at Georgetown. He also spent his freshman season at Harvard, where he won Ivy League Rookie of the Year with over 17 PPG.

Jacob Bannarbie (UNLV), Gavin Hightower (USF) and Arrinten Page (Cincinnati) are all transfers that are part of the Friars' rotation. Plus, Italian freshman Leonardo Marangon has a track record of production from his time playing in Europe, while four-star recruit Javon Bardwell scored 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench versus Maine in the season opener.

Overall, this group looks to have a higher ceiling than last year, but a lot will depend on how fast this team can come together. The Friars will play with pace and solid defense, so Nebraska will have to stay disciplined with turnovers. NU also has the size advantage, so don't be shocked if the Huskers try to leverage a big -man lineup.

As long as Nebraska stays disciplined with their game plan, they should come out of this with a comfortable win. Give me the Huskers to pass their first test of the season.