Nebraska basketball: Mast’s triple-double and 17 threes power 96–66 rout of FIU

Nebraska men’s basketball poured in a barrage of perimeter makes and never looked back Saturday, handling FIU 96–66 behind a highlight-reel triple-double from senior big man Rienk Mast. The Cornhuskers moved to 2–0 with a wire-to-wire performance that showcased ball movement, shooting depth, and a frontcourt fulcrum who controlled every phase.

FIU vs. Nebraska: how the game tilted early

Nebraska seized command with a 13–0 first-half run, stretching the floor and shredding pressure with quick outlets and extra passes. The lead swelled to 49–28 at halftime, and the hosts doubled down after the break, turning live-ball turnovers into clean transition looks. FIU never found a sustained foothold in the half court, repeatedly forced into late-clock attempts.

• Halftime snapshot: Nebraska by 21, driven by pace, spacing, and inside-out creation through Mast.

• Finishing kick: The margin hovered in the high-20s as bench units kept the tempo high and the threes falling.

Rienk Mast’s triple-double leads the way

Mast delivered a complete masterclass: 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists in just over 25 minutes. He punished single coverage on the block, sprayed kick-outs on doubles, and jump-started fast breaks with hit-ahead passes. It goes in the books as a rare program triple-double and, notably, the first against a Division I opponent by a Nebraska player in years.

What made it work:

• Elbow hub: Dribble-handoffs and back-cuts around Mast forced FIU’s bigs to choose between helping at the rim or guarding the arc—neither option held up.

• Screen re-screens: Nebraska’s guards curled tight, and Mast re-angled screens to free shooters, piling up assists without over-dribbling.

• Defensive glass to break: One-and-done possessions fueled early-clock threes before FIU’s defense could set.

Shooters everywhere: Sandfort and the perimeter avalanche

Nebraska’s spacing turned clinical, finishing 17 made threes (one shy of the program record) and roughly 50% from deep on high volume. Pryce Sandfort headlined the deluge with 20 points and six triples, finding rhythm on shallow cuts, trail threes, and baseline relocations. Braden Frager (15) and Connor Essegian (13) joined the double-figure chorus as the Huskers’ second unit maintained shot quality and tempo.

Passing clinic: Nebraska stacked 29 assists, routinely making the extra pass to convert good looks into great ones. Drive-and-kick sequences kept FIU’s closeouts late and opened the lane for dump-offs to cutters.

FIU’s struggle: turnovers and stalled half-court flow

FIU generated spurts but couldn’t protect the ball, coughing it up 20 times that Nebraska flipped into 30 points. Even with a slight edge on the glass (40–36), the Panthers saw too many trips dissolve under pressure or end in contested jumpers. The visitors shot under 40% from the field and around 26% from three, with their best stretches coming on straight-line drives and short-roll touches that were too infrequent to dent the margin.

Bright spots: Balanced scoring in the low teens and a willingness to attack closeouts showed up; the issue was sustaining clean entries and avoiding live-ball mistakes that let Nebraska play downhill.

Box-score beats and trends

• Efficiency band: Nebraska hovered in the mid-50s FG% and ~50% 3PT while keeping turnovers manageable—an ideal early-season profile.

• Shot diet: Paint touches plus threes defined the plan; the Huskers avoided low-value midrange looks except late clock.

• Depth minutes: Bench units held the standard on both ends, a positive indicator with heavier opponents looming.

What it means for Nebraska basketball

Two games in, the identity is taking shape: inside-out offense through Mast, five-out spacing around multiple credible shooters, and a defense comfortable turning pressure into pace. When the ball moves like this—elbow actions into flare screens, corner lifts syncing with short rolls—the Huskers can post explosive halves without needing a single high-usage scorer.

Next up: A quick turnaround at home offers a chance to reinforce the passing tempo and rotation balance before neutral-site challenges raise the degree of difficulty.

What’s next for FIU

The Panthers leave with clear tape to correct: press organization, entry angles against a switching front, and valuing possessions. There’s enough speed and size to trouble opponents, but the turnover count must come down—especially ahead of a step-up road test where empty trips snowball fast.

Three quick takeaways

1. Mast the metronome: When he anchors touch after touch, Nebraska’s spacing and reads hum.

2. Shooting travels: With multiple 40% threats, the Huskers can win different game scripts—half-court grind or transition waves.

3. Possession game decides: Turnover margin and defensive rebounding remain the surest indicators of whether Nebraska can carry this form into tougher windows.

On a day the shots fell and the pass found the open man, Nebraska 96, FIU 66 told a clean story: an offense with an identity and a centerpiece who made everyone around him better.