U men's basketball gameday

6 p.m. vs. Nebraska • Williams Arena • ESPN, 1500-AM

Springs, U shoot for eight in a row

Preview: The Gophers (22-7, 10-6 Big Ten) will play their final home game Thursday looking for an eighth consecutive victory and fifth consecutive Big Ten win at Williams Arena, which would be the most since 2002-03. Minnesota trails only UCLA (eight games) for the longest winning streak among power conference schools. … Nebraska (12-16, 6-10) has won four of the past five games in the series. But the Cornhuskers, after starting the season 3-0 and winning at Indiana and Maryland, dropped eight of their next nine games, including five in a row.

Players to watch: Akeem Springs, who will be honored along with Darin Haugh on Senior Night, has been the emotional leader for the Gophers this season. The senior captain also has hit some big shots, including the game-winner Feb. 15 against Indiana. Springs leads the team with 64 three-point field goals. … Nebraska guard Tai Webster ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring (17.8), tied for sixth in assists (4.1) and tied for third in steals (1.4). Webster and Glynn Watson Jr. are the highest-scoring backcourt in the Big Ten (a combined 31.2 points per game).

Numbers: Minnesota's 22 regular-season victories are the most for the program since the 1981-82 season, excluding the vacated 1996-97 Final Four season.

MARCUS FULLER