NU hasn't won a conference title since sharing the Big Seven Conference with Kansas and Kansas State in 1950, and they haven't won an outright conference title since going a perfect 12-0 through the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletics Association in 1916. Nebraska has a distinction of one of the few major conference programs never to win a single game in the NCAA Tournament, and in the over 90 years of varsity competition at the University, the first trip to the NCAA Tournament for Nebraska did not come until 1986. Much of the team's success came under the tenure of Danny Nee, head coach from 1987 to 2000, and he is the team's all-time winningest head coach with a record of 254-190.

Nee led the Cornhuskers to five of their six NCAA Tournament appearances, six bids to the National Invitation Tournament, including the 1996 NIT Championship. Barry Collier, who led Nebraska from 2000 to August 2006, left to become athletic director at Butler University. He previously had been Butler's head coach from 1989 to 2000. Nebraska hired Doc Sadler from UTEP as men's basketball head coach following the departure of Collier.