NCAAMB Games of the Weekend: December 13-14

by Elias Meredith 12/15/25 Sportz Nation

SATURDAY: 13 ILLINOIS VS

23 NEBRASKA

Photo by Ron Johnson/Imagn Images

The 2025 Nebraska Cornhuskers looked to make history with an upset win over the Illinois Fighting Illini Saturday night. They would become the first team in Nebraska men’s basketball history to go 11-0 to start the season. 

The Cornhuskers most impressive win of the season came in story book fashion. Senior guard JaMarques Lawrence drilled a game-winning three from the right wing to put Nebraska ahead by three with less than a second remaining. The dagger three would give Nebraska the 83-80 win over 13th ranked Illinois.

While the game was a nail-biter in the final minutes of the game, it was not always like that. Nebraska was up as much as 14 points midway through the first half. Junior forward Pryce Sandfort would score 15 of his season-high 32 points in the first half, but as the half ended, the lead dwindled down quickly. 

Illinois went on a 10-0 run to close the half and tie the game at 37 to end the first half. Senior guard Kylan Boswell scored seven of the ten points in the run to get the Fighting Illini offense back on track to close the half.

The second half started with Nebraska grabbing an early lead, but the Cornhuskers struggled to get a comfortable lead until the 12:44 mark. Nebraska would go on a 7-0 run to take their second double digit lead of the game.

As soon as Nebraska got a commanding lead, Illinois would go on a 7-0 run of their own. Sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic would score 6 of his 19 points in that offensive spurt.

Illinois would hang around until they were able to make it a one possession game with under two minutes left in the game. Eventually, Illinois would tie the game up, as junior center Tomislav Ivisic would wait for the perfect time to score his first points of the game. The Croatia native would drill a three to tie the game at 80 with 18 seconds left.

Nebraska had the ball with the shot clock unplugged, which gave them the chance to have the last shot of the half. Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg drew up a great set to get his best shooter open. JaMarques Lawrence, who has been on fire from three this year, used a side step move to create separation from his defender and hit the biggest shot of the game, and keep the Cornhusker historic start alive.

Key to Victory: Offensive Efficiency 

Saturday night, Nebraska had a true shooting percentage of 63.1% as a team. That is the sixth time this season that the Cornhuskers had a true shooting percentage over 60% in a game. This Cornhusker offense is playing at an elite level to start the season.

Next for the Cornhuskers: Sunday December 21, vs North Dakota Fighting Hawks at 8 PM EST

Next for the Fighting Illini: Monday, December 22 vs Missouri Tigers at 8 PM EST

SUNDAY: SAINT MARY’S VS BOISE STATE

Photo by Brian Losness/Imagn Images

Sunday night, the Boise State Broncos looked to extend their three-game winning streak to four as they faced the Saint Mary’s Gaels in a west coast non-conference bout. The Broncos held off the Gaels late game scoring run to take the 68-67 win in Idaho Falls.

To start the game, it was all Broncos. Boise State started the game on a 13-0 run. After the sluggish start, Saint Mary’s went on their own 13-0 run to get back into the game. From there, the remainder of the first half would stay within single digits, as junior forward Drew Fielder would lead Boise State in the first half. The Boise native would score 12 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, as the Broncos would take a 37-32 lead into the locker room.

Throughout the second half, Boise State would not let go of the lead, but Saint Mary’s would find a way to hang around, staying within two possessions.

At the 4:24 mark, Boise State had their largest lead of the game at 14 points. Saint Mary’s would once again close the gap. The Gaels would go on a 15-2 run to make it a one-point game. Junior forward Paulius Murauskas, who scored 13 of his team-high 21 points in the second half, drilled a clutch three pointer to cut the Boise State lead to one with 11 seconds left. 

The Gaels had a chance to win the game, after guard Aginaldo Neto missed the first half of the one-and-one, but senior guard Dylan Andrews had other plans. Andrews would steal the ball from sophomore guard Joshua Dent as he was driving left towards the basket to seal the victory.

Key to Victory: Clutch Defense

Down the stretch, the Broncos struggled to stop the Gaels in the four minutes of the game, but when it mattered most, they stood their ground. Dylan Andrews' only steal of the game was the biggest steal of the game.

Next for the Broncos: Saturday, December 20, at Nevada Wolf Pack at 10 PM EST  

Next for the Gaels: Friday, December 19, vs Florida Atlantic Owls at 10 PM EST

Thank you for reading!

Elias Meredith (@EAM_55)