Nebraska players make unusual plea to fans after beating Michigan State to extend historic run

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska players make unusual plea to fans after beating Michigan State to extend historic run

Team improves to 14-0 with victory over Michigan State

Paulina Dedaj Fox News

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January 3, 2026 4:29pm EST

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The Nebraska men’s basketball team made a peculiar request for Cornhuskers fans amid the program's historic run: Please stay in your seats.

Nebraska continued its perfect run and program-best start to 14-0 with a 58-56 win over No. 9 Michigan State at home on Friday night, but as the final buzzer rang out, fans stormed the court to celebrate.

Jamarques Lawrence reacts after a basket

Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence (10) reacts after a basket against Michigan State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Bonnie Ryan)

The win marked the team’s 18th straight victory dating back to last season, which is the longest streak in the nation.

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While the players are thankful for the support, they made a plea for fans to stop storming the court.

"If you're the No. 13 against the No. 9 and you’re at home, in my opinion, you’re supposed to win that game," Nebraska forward Rienk Mast said. "I don’t blame the fans. They got excited for that win. From here on out, we’ve proven we belong in these games and we’re supposed to win these types of games."

"Every single game we have to prove it, that this isn’t a fluke and that we're on a hot streak and we can go cold," he said. "We've got to stay poised and keep proving people wrong."

Fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers storm the court after a win against the Michigan State Spartans at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Jan. 2, 2026. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

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Guard Jamarques Lawrence echoed that sentiment.

"We’re supposed to win that game, guys," he said. "No more court storms, please. I just got to say that."

Interestingly enough, Spartans head coach Tom Izzo had no issues with the celebrations.

Nebraska fans celebrate after a play against Michigan State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Bonnie Ryan)

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"I absolutely loved it, absolutely loved it," he said after the game. "That doesn’t happen much at our place. And it shouldn’t. But it should happen here. This is kind of a new experience. That’s the beauty of what you do as you build a program."

"They were lining up back there, I was thinking to myself ‘go for it.’ I thought it was great."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Paulina Dedaj is a Sports Reporter for Fox News Digital.

Nebraska players make unusual plea to fans after beating Michigan State to extend historic run