Nebraska Huskers are 20-0 amid a program turnaround

Nebraska is 20-0 and ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 after coach Fred Hoiberg's 2022 reset and changes to roster construction and defensive scheme.

Nebraska is 20-0 and sits at No. 5 in the Associated Press Top 25, the highest ranking in school history. The Huskers are one of three unbeaten teams in college basketball and are alone in first place in the Big Ten as they head into a road game this week. The program remains the only power-conference school that has never won a men's NCAA Tournament game, a drought that has shaped how the team and coaches talk about March. The article traces this season's improvement to a 2022 reset by coach Fred Hoiberg that changed practice routines, recruiting focus and roster construction. Key details: - Current standing: Nebraska is 20-0 and ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25, with the team reported as alone atop the Big Ten entering the week. - Coaching reset: In February 2022 Hoiberg agreed to a pay cut and then reworked how the program practiced, prepared and recruited players. - Roster makeup: The eight-man rotation combines transfers, former walk-ons and players who returned from injury, including Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort and Sam Hoiberg. - Player notes: The article reports Mast returned from knee surgery and is averaging a career-high 14.6 points per game, while Sandfort leads the team in scoring and has been a key outside shooter. - Defensive improvement: Nebraska's adjusted defensive efficiency rose from 178th in 2021-22 to 69th in 2022-23 and to 11th this season, attributed in the piece to assistant coach Nate Loenser's defensive plan. Summary: The article presents Nebraska's unbeaten run as the result of a multi-year cultural and schematic rebuild under Fred Hoiberg, with roster construction and defensive emphasis highlighted as central changes. The team entered the week projected as a high seed for the NCAA Tournament and faces a top-ranked conference opponent this week. How the program will perform in the NCAA Tournament remains undetermined at this time.