3 things we learned from an epic win for Nebraska basketball

If you didn’t believe that Nebraska basketball is for real, you should now after Jamarques Lawrence hit a buzzer-beater to knock off the 13th-ranked Fighting Illini on the road on Saturday.

The Huskers led for most of the game. Pryce Sandfort scored 26 points in the first half. The Iowa transfer made six 3-pointers before intermission.

Illinois made a strong push at the end. Then, after a game-tying 3-pointer with less than 20 seconds, it felt like it was headed to overtime.

Lawrence had other ideas, though. After catching a pass from Sam Hoiberg, he took a step back, got just enough space, and stunned the Illini fans.

It felt like something that usually happens to the Huskers. Not this Nebraska team, though. We said after the 30-point win over Wisconsin that this team is different.

Now, that feels even more true. Sandfort finished with 32 points, including a 5-of-7 effort on 2-point attempts to go along with six treys. Rienk Mast scored 17 points and had seven rebounds. Lawrence finished with 14, and Jared Garcia came off the bench to add 10 big ones.

It’s almost surreal to say, but Nebraska basketball has won 15 games in a row. Here’s what we learned.

The best start ever for Nebraska basketball

No Nebraska basketball team has ever started 11-0. That is, until Saturday. It’s incredible. This team isn’t even full-strength. It’s missing multiple players who were supposed to be part of the rotation.

And the Huskers just keep winning. This is what Nebraska basketball fans envisioned when Fred Hoiberg was hired to be the head coach. I wrote after the Wisconsin win that we were in the midst of the Golden Era of Nebraska basketball.

Maybe now Husker fans will start to believe. This head coach is special. This team is special, and this program is doing things it has never done before.

Hopefully, this is the start of that. Not the end.

Great guard play makes the difference

Remember when some fans and even pundits sort of rolled their eyes when Hoiberg brought back Lawrence to be his point guard?

Well, who’s laughing now? Lawrence has 45 assists and 23 turnovers in 11 games. Last season, Lawrence shot 39 percent from 3-point range for Rhode Island. This season, he’s shooting 41 percent. The defense has been stellar, too.

Don’t even get me started on Sam Hoiberg. He’s the most underrated player in all of college basketball. Whether it’s defense, his playmaking ability on both ends of the floor, or his ability to thrive in the big moment. This team wouldn’t be 11-0 without those two guys.

We all know you need great guard play to win in the NCAA tournament. Hoiberg and Lawrence have delivered that all season, and they did once again on Saturday.

Best win in recent memory

This program has had some great moments, but beating Illinois, one of the dominant teams in the Big Ten in recent years, in a top-25 game, on the road, at the buzzer, might take the cake.

It will be one of the defining wins of Fred Hoiberg’s career in Lincoln. It’s wild to think fans questioned him even as recently as last season.

That was one of the best regular-season wins Nebraska has had in the Big Ten. And Fred Hoiberg, he’s well on his way to becoming the best head coach in program history.