When the Nebraska basketball team signed forward Colin Rice, it was a definite coup for a program that, at the time, was coming off a season where it missed the Big Ten tournament. There were signs that things were turning around with a Crown Championship, but the addition of Rice was the biggest sign yet.
On Friday night, Rice showed just how good he can be when he joins the Huskers. Until then, he's still leading his Waukee Northwest High School, and at the moment, he's trying to lead them to a state title.
The Nebraska signee took a big step in showing just how good he and his team can be when he absolutely went off against Iowa City Liberty. Rice finished the game with 50 points in the 101-58 victory.
Huge win for @WaukeeNWBBall over Iowa city liberty 101-58. #nebraskabasketball commit @colinlrice with a school record 50 points.
— SportsGuysIowa (@SportsGuysIowa) February 28, 2026
@RobinWashut @midwestsportstv @JordanCole43 @blenny10 @steven_sipple nice walk off three to get to 50. @ChadHarberts @PSchiltzMSplus @JacobPadilla… pic.twitter.com/YxBVfsNL5W
Colin Rice's 50-point game proves Nebraska basketball made a statement signing
In other words, the forward, who was the No. 2 player in the entire state of Iowa in the 2026 class, almost scored more than his opponents all on his own.
Coming into his senior season, some analysts still believed there was growth needed for Rice to really be a game-changer. It's safe to say he's done that growth and that he will continue to grow when he eventually joins the Huskers.
Just what Nebraska's plans for Colin Rice are as a true freshman isn't clear. He could go the same route as Braden Frager. The latter player sat out his entire true freshman season, and it certainly looks like it paid off. Either way, Fred Hoiberg has a big-time talent coming to town.