Inside BRT’s Surprising Obsession: Why Nebrasketball and These Other Underdog Teams Have Captured His Attention

Let me just say, jumping into the hoopla of Big Ten basketball after years of half-hearted following has been… well, surprisingly thrilling this season. Usually, supporting Nebrasketball felt like cheering for the underdog with a giant “maybe next year” banner hanging overhead—but this time? Things look different. The Huskers have flipped the script in a way that’s hard to ignore, stringing together a win streak that’s stretched longer than anyone expected back in December. I’m talking real grit here—wins over Wisconsin, buzzer-beaters against Illinois, and holding firm against Michigan State—all moments that have gone from novelty to bona fide confidence boosters. As someone who’s danced on the edges of Big Ten fandom for over a decade (thanks to a former MSU beau and countless game nights), watching Nebraska battle through ups and downs has been a journey with its fair share of heartbreak and heart-pumping excitement. Now, with their newfound swagger, the Huskers aren’t just participating; they’re turning heads and shaking up expectations. So, if you’ve been on the fence—or just needed a reason to warm up your cold winter nights—this might be the moment to hop aboard this surprisingly exhilarating ride. LEARN MORE

Hey ho, it’s me, BRT, writer of volleyball, football, and now, apparently, a tiny bit of basketball. This is a little less onerous than it usually would be as a Nebrasketball fan though, because this year… they are actually good?

I’ve been following (I use the term somewhat loosely) Big Ten basketball for about 13 years (that is actually much longer than I thought it would be when I started that sentence.) I was dating an MSU fan for about half of the 2010s, and for bonding and stuff, I started paying attention to basketball. I followed MSU a fair bit during that time, mostly as a coping mechanism for also following Nebrasketball during that time. The Huskers have had their moments off and on in that time span including a couple of fun wins over MSU, a couple of unsuccessful cracks at their ill-fated NCAA tournament record, Keisei Tominanga, the Huskers playing the last game before everything shut down for Covid, a big upset of Wisconsin in Lincoln that I was lucky enough to attend and enjoy, and the endless delight of Tim Miles’ Twitter presence.

So it wasn’t all bad. Alas, a lot of it was pretty bad.

Still, I found I liked having something sportsy to distract me through the cold, dark winters, so while I haven’t been the most fervent or learned follower of basketball, I’ve watched a fair bit of it, and have seen most of your teams (when they played Nebraska.)

As you may have heard, Nebrasketball currently has the Nation’s Longest Active Win Streak. What started as a sort of funny bit in December has managed to mature into 2026. At first, it was cute: announcers kept saying “oh, but they have Wisconsin coming up.” Then, they beat Wisconsin by 30. Then, “But they have Illinois on the road.” They won on a buzzer beater three. Next, they “couldn’t possibly keep it against Michigan State.” But they did.

Of course, it cannot continue forever (PROVE ME WRONG, HUSKERS!), but so far, the Huskers have cleared every hurdle they’ve encountered, sometimes gracefully, sometimes not. But they’ve cleared them.

So now, the talking heads have had to shift their tone. Because the Huskers, it seems, are finally, actually, a solid team. And as a few teams have found out so far, they really aren’t afraid of anyone.

Feel free to jump on the bandwagon, friends. This team is a lot of fun to watch, and in a way, feels like the wholesome throwback to sports of yore that are all but gone in the NIL and portal era: old players who have put in their time, matured, worked hard, and are now seeing how much it could pay off.

Other Teams Whose Narratives Interest Me Less, But Might Interest You More:

MICHIGAN: Whatever, they’re great, they score like 100 points a game. (Except randomly against Penn State, whattttt.) Maybe they won’t lose this season, though they’d better look a bit more alive than they did in the aforementioned 2-point win over the 9-6 Nitts.

MINNESOTA: “Is Minnesota for Real?” I dunno. Pro: They are 4th in the Big Ten right now. Con: There are many teams in that general vicinity, so less impressive than it sounds. Pro: They beat #19 Iowa. Con: Iowa at any number is actually trash. Pro: They lost by 12 to San Francisco. Con: They beat the Campbell Camels, who are not good, but have an excellent mascot.

Verdict: Probably not for real, but who knows!

USC: “Southern California Team Travels to State of Michigan in January, Freezes Figuratively and Perhaps Also Literally. Film at 10.”

RUTGERS: Not actually noteworthy, but so far this season, sort of hilariously bad. If this seems mean of me, remember how much I have seen as a Nebrasketball fan. They did beat Oregon though, so… not great, Ducks. (Presumably, they are all watching football and don’t care.)