At 21-2, Nebraska has a few signature wins. Amid its 20-game win streak to start the year, Fred Hoiberg’s team downed Big Ten contenders Michigan State and Illinois. However, the Huskers’ recent top-10 tilts didn’t go their way, dropping matchups with Michigan and Illinois.
Even in the loaded Big Ten, there are only so many opportunities to make a real statement, and though there is a month left in the regular season, No. 7 Nebraska’s last one is Tuesday night with No. 13 Purdue in town. There is no other team currently ranked on Nebraska’s schedule, and Iowa is the only one with a realistic chance of climbing into the top 25.
That means Tuesday night could be Nebraska’s last best chance to make its case for a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately for Huskers fans, the betting odds slightly favor their team to get it done at Pinnacle Bank Arena. According to the FanDuel Sportsbook, Nebraska is a 1.5-point favorite over Purdue and -134 on the moneyline.
Nebraska a narrow home favorite over No. 13 Purdue on Tuesday night
Sitting at No. 7 in the country, Nebraska still has a path into the top four, which would presumably lock up a one-seed when the NCAA Tournament field is released on March 15. It also helps that No. 1 Arizona lost at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Monday night, but that could start to move No. 9 Kansas ahead of the Huskers as Bill Self’s team surges down the stretch.
Over the weekend, UConn and Duke both took losses, which is leaving the door open for Nebraska push back up towards a top seed. However, with such a soft Big Ten schedule down the stretch, virtually any loss will end that dream, including on Tuesday night against Purdue.
Following Tuesday night’s matchup, Nebraska’s remaining opponents are Northwestern, Iowa twice, Penn State, Maryland, USC, and UCLA. As of Tuesday morning, Northwestern, Penn State, and Maryland are three of the bottom five teams in the Big Ten.
UCLA could be a threat, currently sitting at 9-4 in conference play, and Iowa received the second-most AP votes this week of unranked teams, but Nebraska will and should be favored in all three of those games, even with two coming on the road. USC is firmly in the middle of the pack in the conference and playing better of late with five-star freshman Alijah Arenas’s return from injury.
Still, Tuesday night is undeniably the biggest game left on the schedule for Hoiberg. A third loss in four games will raise concerns about Nebraska’s viability against top teams in March, while a win will reestablish the Huskers as a true title contender.