Nebraska basketball defeats No. 8 BYU in exhibition game

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska men’s basketball hosted No. 8 BYU for an exhibition game on Saturday – and won.

The Huskers defeated the Cougars, 90-89.

Nebraska shot 50% from the field, with Rienk Mast leading the scoring charge with 31 points, including seven three-pointers.

Nebraska was picked 14th in the Big Ten Preseason Poll.

BYU is ranked 8th in the AP Top 25.

The Huskers just beat the Cougars in an Exhibition Game.

Anarchy?

Nope. Just College Basketball.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 18, 2025

Mast, who missed all of the last season due to an injury, also accounted for five rebounds.

Jamarques Lawrence led the team in assists with nine and in rebounds with seven.

Nebraska’s offense shot 47% from three-point range, versus BYU’s 32.3% from beyond the arc.

This is Nebraska’s first exhibition game against a power conference team since playing a charity exhibition against Colorado in 2022.

A rule change this season allowed teams to schedule exhibition games against D1 programs.  Previously, it was only allowed if it was a charity exhibition.

Nebraska is scheduled for a second exhibition game against Midland on Oct. 27.

The regular season will tip off on Nov. 3 in a home matchup with West Georgia.

Won the day. pic.twitter.com/KGSbZVlUZh

— Nebraska Men’s Basketball (@HuskerMBB) October 18, 2025