25. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Record: 9-2 (1-1 Big Ten)
Last Week: Not Ranked
After falling out of the top-25 last week, Nebraska returns to the rankings thanks to a big-time neutral-site win over Oklahoma State. And while the Cowboys might not be a Big 12 contender, they will go down as a strong win thanks to how dominant the Cornhuskers looked in the win. Nebraska may have missed the NCAA Tournament a year ago despite posting an excellent record in Big Ten play but that should not be the case this time around.
With upperclassmen leaders and some young depth on the roster, the Cornhuskers have enough talent to compete near the top of an extremely tough Big Ten this season. This is the best roster head coach Tim Miles has ever put together and he is doing an excellent job leading his troops. Most notably, senior guard James Palmer has taken the next step this season to reach 18.7 points per game.
Nebraska has played one of the tougher schedules by a power conference team so far this season and they have a fairly solid collection of wins: Seton Hall (H), Clemson (A), Illinois (H), Creighton (H), and Oklahoma State (N). Their only losses have come away from home against Texas Tech (N) and Minnesota (A). Looking ahead, the Cornhuskers should easily handle their next two matchups before completely entering Big Ten play.