CHICAGO (AP) — James Palmer Jr. tied a career high with 34 points, and Nebraska beat Rutgers 68-61 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

Palmer matched a personal best set against Ohio State last season and scored 27 in the second half to carry Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers (17-15) went on a 15-0 run to grab a 10-point lead in the closing minutes on the way to their second straight win after dropping 11 of 13. They are banking on a run in the conference tournament to vault them into the NCAA picture and maybe save coach Tim Miles’ job.

Eugene Omoruyi led Rutgers (14-17) with 16 points. Myles Johnson added 11 points and 11 rebounds, but the Scarlet Knights were one and done this time after winning at least one game in the previous two conference tournaments.

Nebraska went on a 15-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a 61-51 lead with 1:30 remaining.

Isaiah Roby started it with a layup with 6:21 remaining and hit two free throws with four minutes left to put Nebraska back on top for the first time since the opening minutes of the half at 52-51.

Palmer then nailed a 3 and Roby drove for a neat scoop layup after a steal by Johnny Trueblood. Palmer then threw down a hard fast-break dunk, getting intentionally fouled from behind by Omoruyi, and Glynn Watson Jr. made two free throws to finish the run.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Palmer could probably use some help if the Cornhuskers are going to make a run in the conference tournament. No one else scored more than 11 points, and Nebraska shot just 40.4 percent while making 3 of 15 3-pointers.

Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights came up short down the stretch in this one after showing some promise during the regular season.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers were swept by Maryland — 74-72 on the road on Jan. 2 and 60-45 at home on Feb. 6.

Rutgers: Season is likely over.

— Associated Press —

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Kenny Goins and Matt McQuaid have been role players for much of their careers at Michigan State.

On the same night and in timely fashion, the seniors were stars for the ninth-ranked Spartans.

Goins scored 21 of his career-high 24 points in the first half and McQuaid finished with a career-best 22, leading Michigan State to a 91-76 win over Nebraska on Tuesday.

“It’s our last week in the Breslin and both of us are trying to go out with a bang,” Goins said.

Goins and McQuaid, along with freshman Aaron Henry, who scored a season-high 15 points, made up for Cassius Winston matching his season low with eight points.

Winston was slowed by knee tendinitis.

“Nothing that will linger,” coach Tom Izzo insisted.

The Spartans (24-6, 15-4 Big Ten) close the regular season against No. 7 Michigan (26-4, 15-4) at home Saturday night with at least a share of the conference championship at stake. No. 11 Purdue lost at Minnesota, dropping the Boilermakers into a three-way tie with Michigan State and the Wolverines.

“With a championship at stake, that just adds that much more,” Goins said.

The Cornhuskers (15-15, 5-14) have lost four in a row and 11 of 13 in what might be Tim Miles ‘ final season as their coach. Relatively speaking, they bounced back after an 82-53 loss at Michigan.

“That was such a disappointment,” Miles said. “We’ve got to have more in us than that and tonight we did. There are no moral victories, but at the same time, we fought back to seven.”

Nebraska’s James Palmer matched his season high with 30 points. Glynn Watson equaled his season best with 25 points while Isaiah Roby added 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Michigan State started slowly before taking control and leading 47-29 at halftime after Goins was 5 of 5 on 3-pointers and McQuaid scored 13 in the opening 20 minutes.

“The basket looked huge in the first half,” Goins said.

Goins entered scoring 7.8 points per game and the former walk-on averaged 3.4 or fewer points over his first three seasons.

“He’s a self-made guy,” Miles said. “He went from a guy not in the scouting report years ago to going out and having a great night.”

McQuaid topped his previous best scoring game with a 3 midway through the second half to give the Spartans a 69-55 advantage after Nebraska rallied to pull within seven points.

“He’s playing some of his best basketball,” Izzo said.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Miles fired back at a heckling fan who shouted his name and said he was going to get fired. “You think so?” Miles asked. “Maybe they’ll hire you.”

Miles is 112-112 at Nebraska, which would have to give him a $2.52 million buyout if the school fires him with two years left on his contract.

“It’s been a tough run for him, but his team had enough character to not quit,” Izzo said.

Michigan State: Henry played the way Izzo hopes he can for the rest of the season. The shooting guard entered averaging just 4.9 points per game. He has not looked confident starting in place of Joshua Langford, who had season-ending foot surgery.

“He did a good job of being aggressive,” McQuaid said. “He hit that 3 and that really got him going. He was on the boards and he was looking for his shot.”

INJURY REPORT

The Spartans, already without Nick Ward and Langford, were missing Kyle Ahrens because of a back injury. Izzo isn’t sure how long Ahrens will be out. Izzo doesn’t expect Ward , who had surgery on his left hand last month, to play against Michigan.

Ward’s shooting hard was broken and repaired, adding an obstacle to his comeback.

“I’ve learned I can do a lot of things with either hand,” he said. “It’s harder, but I can do it.”

Nebraska guard Thomas Allen, who averages 8.7 points, was on the bench with a walking boot on his left foot after being injured last week against Michigan.

WELCOME BACK

Michigan State’s 1959 Big Ten championship team , which was led by Jumpin’ Johnny Green, was honored on the court during the game.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Will play Iowa at home on Sunday.

Michigan State: Hosts the rival Wolverines on Saturday night.

— Associated Press —

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — For the first time all season, Michigan needed to change its starting lineup.

The Wolverines didn’t miss a beat.

Jon Teske scored a career-high 22 points, and No. 9 Michigan easily rebounded from its loss to Michigan State with an 82-53 victory over Nebraska on Thursday night. The Wolverines were without Charles Matthews, out with a right ankle injury, but Isaiah Livers replaced him in the starting lineup and had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“Charles, he does a lot of great things. I tried to replace him as best I could,” Livers said. “Trying to grab 50-50 balls, just knock the open shots and go dunk on people’s heads — that’s Charles Matthews’ game.”

Livers started 22 games last season as a freshman, but this season, Michigan’s starting five for its first 28 games was Matthews, Teske, Iggy Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole and Zavier Simpson. That finally changed because of the injury to the 6-foot-6 Matthews, who had a boot on the injured ankle. Coach John Beilein didn’t give any details on Matthews’ prognosis.

The Wolverines (25-4, 14-4 Big Ten) raced out to a 22-point halftime lead behind Teske and Brazdeikis. It was the last home game for Michigan, which finishes the regular season with trips to Maryland and Michigan State.

The Wolverines lost only once at home in 2018-19 — 77-70 to Michigan State on Sunday. That dropped Michigan a game behind the Spartans in the Big Ten title race, but the Wolverines still look formidable — and they weren’t about to slip up against a struggling Nebraska team.

“If they’re going to play for a conference championship, you can’t lose at home — certainly can’t lose at home to a 10th-place team,” Cornhuskers coach Tim Miles said. “I think that just making shots early deflated our guys, but this is not a league to feel sorry for yourself.”

Brazdeikis went down holding his left knee near the end of the first half, but he walked off without assistance and was back at the beginning of the second. He finished with 20 points.

Nana Akenten scored 11 points for Nebraska (15-14, 5-13).

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers nearly shook up the conference title race when they played Purdue tough over the weekend but lost by three. They put up little resistance against Michigan. James Palmer, Nebraska’s leading scorer, was held to a season-low seven points.

“Obviously the wins aren’t there and we’ve been racking up a lot of losses, but give credit to the teams we’ve played,” forward Tanner Borchardt said.

Michigan: When Brazdeikis is shooting well, the Wolverines are tough to beat because they don’t need as much scoring from Teske or Simpson. And when Teske is also contributing — the 7-foot-1 center made all three of his 3-point attempts Thursday — that’s an additional bonus.

HONORED

Michigan honored Matthews on senior night. He has a year of eligibility left but is a candidate to leave early for the NBA.

“He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever coached,” Beilein said. “He’s a Kentucky transfer, and he just came in here and he just bought in a hundred percent.”

Matthews, who has played two seasons at Michigan, briefly addressed the crowd after the game, expressing his appreciation.

RESERVES

Michigan went deep into its bench in this blowout win. Freshman Colin Castleton scored 11 points in 9:09. He’d scored six points all season before Thursday.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Michigan took care of business while short-handed, but its next matchup this week is the more intriguing game.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers will try one more time to be a spoiler in the race for first place, playing at No. 6 Michigan State on Tuesday night.

Michigan: The Wolverines play at No. 17 Maryland on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Purdue’s Grady Eifert headed toward the basket when he saw Carsen Edwards put up a 3-pointer and the No. 15 Boilermakers leading Nebraska by a point with two minutes left.

Flying across the lane, Eifert grabbed the partially blocked shot with a second on the shot clock and managed to get off one of his two key late shots that pushed Purdue to a 75-72 win Saturday.

“I saw it got tipped,” Eifert said. “I knew the shot clock was winding down. I knew I would be able to come down and gather myself. I just flicked it up there and it rolled. I couldn’t see it after I shot it. Everyone celebrating, I could tell it went in.”

A couple minutes earlier, Eifert beat the shot clock when he slipped to the basket for an uncontested layup off an inbound pass from Ryan Cline.

“That doesn’t happen unless Carsen sprints off there and makes a hard cut,” Eifert said. “Kline made a perfect pass for me to catch and go up with it right away. When it’s one second on the clock, everyone’s thinking Carsen’s getting the ball there. We just wanted to get something at the rim.”

Nebraska coach Tim Miles could only shake his head and toss a water bottle as Eifert did his thing.

“First of all, I think you just credit Purdue and Grady Eifert,” Miles said. “Those are very good plays. Credit the victor, right? Second of all, I don’t think we made a mistake. It was a scramble situation defensively. Sometimes the game breaks you.”

Matt Haarms had 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots for Purdue (20-7, 13-3 Big Ten), which won its second straight close road game, having beaten Indiana 48-46 on a tip-in with three seconds left Tuesday.

“We went to Indiana, we were fortunate, but we found a way to win,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “We came here today and we were fortunate again. We still found a way. I think that’s what good teams do. To be able to hang in there, make our free throws, not turn the basketball over and outrebound them by 18, we’ll take that.”

The Boilermakers’ 14th win in 16 games pulled them into a brief three-way tie for first in the Big Ten with Michigan and Michigan State. The tie will be broken Sunday when those two teams meet in Ann Arbor.

Cline’s 3-pointer to end the first half gave the Boilermakers a two-point lead, and they never trailed again. Purdue made 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch and finished 23 of 26 from the line.

Glynn Watson Jr. scored a season-high 25 points and James Palmer added 15 points and a season-high eight assists for Nebraska (15-13, 5-12), which lost for the ninth time in 11 games.

Edwards and Cline had 13 points apiece for the Boilermakers. Edwards continued to struggle with his shot after going 4 for 24 overall and 0 for 10 on 3-pointers against Indiana. With Watson the primary defender on Edwards, the Big Ten scoring leader was 3 for 16 and 1 for 10 on 3s Saturday and had no field goals the final 34 minutes.

“I’m just going to step up to the challenge no matter what,” Watson said. “Try to bring it on defense, just trying to play with energy and confidence on defense.”

THE BIG PICTURE

Purdue: The Boilermakers are 16-5 all-time against the Huskers, 9-2 in Big Ten games and 3-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Purdue secured a fifth straight 20-win season and its 12th in Painter’s 14 seasons.

Nebraska: The crowd of 9,051 was the smallest of the season and one of the smallest since the Huskers began playing in Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14. The low turnout came during a winter storm and the public was urged to stay home. “To be able to come here in blizzard-like conditions and see all those fans, it’s pretty cool,” Painter said. “It shows the loyalty and support they get here at Nebraska.”

BURKHEAD’S BACK

Rex Burkhead, the popular former Nebraska running back who now plays for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, was wearing a Huskers basketball jersey and a stocking cap as he shot T-shirts to the crowd during a timeout in the first half.

UP NEXT

Purdue hosts Illinois Wednesday.

Nebraska visits No. 7 Michigan Thursday.

— Associated Press —

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Lamar Stevens scored 16 of his 29 points in the first half and Penn State pulled away from Nebraska 95-71 on Tuesday.

Rasir Bolton scored 21 while Mike Watkins and Josh Reaves added 10 apiece for the Nittany Lions (10-16, 3-12 Big Ten), who have won three of their last five. Reaves scored his 1,000th career point.

James Palmer Jr. led Nebraska (15-12, 5-11) with 24 points. Isaiah Roby added 17 and Thomas Allen scored 11 for the Cornhuskers, who had their two-game winning streak snapped.

Penn State took the lead for good on Stevens’ first 3-pointer just 2:36 in. He later made three straight baskets to help fuel a 27-15 run that gave Penn State a 44-25 halftime lead.

The Nittany Lions never looked back in their highest-scoring game of the season.

Myles Dread drained a 3-pointer and Stevens added a 3-point play to spark a 20-14 run for a 64-39 Penn State lead with 13:19 left and the Nittany Lions led by as many as 29 from there.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers looked like they were on the way to recovering from a seven-game slide that all but erased a promising 13-4 start to the season. But they were sluggish in this one and let the worst-shooting team in the Big Ten make 50 percent of its first-half shots and 55 percent overall.

Penn State: It’s been a forgettable season for the reigning NIT champions who statistically rank at or near the bottom of nearly every conference shooting category. They played their best game in this one, however and will try to win a second straight game for just the second time this season after wining the first two games of the season.

UP NEXT

Nebraska hosts Purdue on Saturday.

Penn State visits Illinois on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — James Palmer made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to give Nebraska a 62-61 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night, ending the Cornhuskers’ seven-game losing streak.

Minnesota’s Dupree McBrayer had picked up a loose ball under the basket moments earlier, but he stepped out of bounds, giving Nebraska possession with 2.7 seconds left. Glynn Watson Jr. inbounded to Palmer, who was fouled by Amir Coffey as he went up to shoot.

Palmer went to the line and hit the first free throw, and after a timeout he swished the second to send the Pinnacle Bank Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Gophers coach Rick Pitino started to follow an official off the court, but the official waved him off and Pitino turned around.

Palmer finished with 24 points for the Huskers (14-11, 4-10 Big Ten). Watson broke out of the worst slump of his career, scoring 19 points.

Jordan Murphy had 19 points, Daniel Oturu added 16 and Coffey had 11 for the Gophers (17-8, 6-9), who have lost four straight.

The Gophers led 61-60 and had the ball in the final minute, but Murphy, who scored eight of his team’s last 10 points, was called for a charge into Roby with 20.9 seconds left.

Thomas Allen had his shot blocked by Oturu with time running down, and McBrayer grabbed the ball but turned it over when his foot touched the baseline.

That set up the winning sequence for Nebraska, which hadn’t won since Jan. 14.

BIG PICTURE

Minnesota: The Gophers’ longest losing streak of the season continues, and they’ve lost six in a row in Lincoln. They also lost for the seventh time in eight road games.

Nebraska: Palmer’s free throws won the game, but the resurgence of Watson is what helped put the Huskers in position to win. In the previous four games, Watson was 6 of 37 from the floor and 1 of 18 on 3-pointers with a total of 15 points.

UP NEXT

Minnesota hosts Indiana on Saturday.

Nebraska hosts Northwestern on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Grady Eifert gave No. 15 Purdue the boost it needed Saturday.

And once the senior forward got started, the Boilermakers took off.

Eifert scored 16 points and had four steals, both career highs, and grabbed five offensive rebounds to help Purdue overcome a sluggish start and pull away for an 81-62 victory over Nebraska.

“We talked at halftime about getting more offensive rebounds and more open looks for our guys,” he said. “We were trying to play through it with hustle and energy.”

Nobody did it better than Eifert, the younger brother of NFL tight end Tyler Eifert and one of the most underrated players on Purdue’s roster.

While Carsen Edwards scored 27 points and Nojel Eastern had 12 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double in six games, Eifert almost single-handedly turned the game with the kind of gritty hustle plays coach Matt Painter appreciates.

Things started to change when Eifert hit the deck to make a steal then flipped an outlet pass to Eastern for a breakaway basket. On the Boilermakers’ next possession, Eifert’s second 3-pointer of the game closed out the decisive 8-0 run and when Ryan Cline followed with another 3, the Boilermakers had a turned a 39-35 cushion into a 50-38 runaway.

Painter wasn’t the only one raving.

In the waning minutes, fans chanted M-V-P, M-V-P as Eifert celebrated his 100th career win, and Cornhuskers coach Tim Miles joined the chorus after the Boilermakers (17-6, 10-2) won their eighth straight.

“I thought the guy who hurt us tonight was Grady Eifert and I know that’s hard to say when Carsen Edwards has 27,” he said.

Thomas Allen made five 3s and matched his season-high with 18 points for Nebraska (13-11, 3-10). James Palmer Jr. added 17 points as the Cornhuskers’ losing streak hit seven — the last four without injured forward Isaac Copeland.

But Nebraska did play better.

With the Boilermakers off to a lackluster start, the Cornhuskers took a 25-21 lead on Palmer’s 3 with 7 minutes left in the first half.

That’s when Eifert & Co. cranked up the defensive intensity. Purdue allowed just one basket the rest of the half, used an 8-3 run to take a 33-31 halftime and then relied on the momentum and Eifert’s impact to take control early in the second half.

“You have to have a competitiveness to you and I thought Grady really brought tonight,” Painter said. “We did a better job (in the second half) feeding off those hustle plays Grady and Nojel were making.”

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: Clearly, the Cornhuskers aren’t the same without Copeland. But they showed some promise by hanging around most of the night against a Big Ten contender.

Purdue: The Boilermakers have won 14 straight at home. But on Saturday, they showed they can win even when they don’t play their best. Purdue relied on its usual three-pronged approach — defense, hustle and ball movement — to pull away late. And it should keep them climbing in the poll.

STAT PACK

Nebraska: Glynn Watson Jr. scored four points after being shut out for the first time since his freshman season Wednesday at Maryland. … The Cornhuskers had eight turnovers but were outrebounded 39-24. … Nebraska is 0-7 all-time at Mackey Arena and has lost five of the last six in the series. … The Cornhuskers shot 38.2 percent from the field.

Purdue: Eifert finished with seven rebounds. … Purdue’s 10-2 mark in conference play is tied for the fifth-best mark in school history. … Painter won his 312th game and needs four more to move into the top 10 in Big Ten history.

TRIBUTE TO TRENT

The Boilermakers honored the late Tyler Trent, at their annual Hammer Down Cancer game.

They presented a check for nearly $13,000 to the fund in Trent’s name at the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research. Athletic director Mike Bobinski also gave Trent’s family a framed No. 1 jersey, drawing the loudest roar of the night from the crowd.

The 20-year-old Trent became a national inspiration during the football season as he rooted on the Boilermakers. Trent died on Jan. 1 from a rare form of bone cancer.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Will try to end its skid when it heads home Wednesday to face Minnesota.

Purdue: Can make a major statement Tuesday at No. 24 Maryland.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Jalen Smith had 18 points and 11 rebounds and fueled Maryland’s decisive surge in the first half, and the 24th-ranked Terrapins beat fading Nebraska 60-45 on Wednesday night.

Bruno Fernando wasn’t at his best shooting but still had his sixth consecutive double-double, and 15th of the season, with 13 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for Maryland (18-6, 9-4 Big Ten).

Nebraska (13-10, 3-9) set season lows for points and field goal percentage (21 percent) while losing its sixth straight and dropping to 13th place in the conference.

Isaiah Roby led the Cornhuskers with 20 points and 14 rebounds, and James Palmer Jr. added 11 points.

The Terps were lethargic at the outset, missing 11 of their first 14 shots as offensive leaders Fernando, Anthony Cowan Jr. and Smith went scoreless through the first nine minutes. Meanwhile, Roby scored 12 points as the Huskers jumped to a 15-10 lead.

But then Nebraska had one of its all-too-familiar scoring droughts, this one lasting longer than eight minutes. Smith, whose short runner with 3 seconds left gave the Terps a 74-72 win over the Huskers on Jan. 2, scored 11 straight points to put his team in front after Tanner Borchardt went to the bench with his second foul.

Maryland outscored the Cornhuskers 20-5 to close the half, with Nebraska making just one field goal over the last 11:41.

The Terps left the door open, starting the second half much as they did the first. Fernando traveled, Smith committed an offensive foul and the Huskers scored nine straight to draw to 31-29 before Aaron Wiggins hit a 3-pointer and Smith dunked off a lob to make it 36-29.

A minute later, Fernando posted up and moved into Borchardt under the basket, knocking him down, before jamming a one-handed dunk. The play brought howls from fans who wanted a foul and a technical on Nebraska coach Tim Miles, who wanted the same thing.

The Terps soon were up by double digits again and on their way to bouncing back from a 69-61 loss at Wisconsin last Friday.

BIG PICTURE

Maryland: This wasn’t the Terps’ best night offensively, but avoiding a fourth loss in five games kept them safely in the upper half of the Big Ten. Cowan scored a season-low five points, Fernando had only two in the first half and Maryland shot 38 percent as a team.

Nebraska: The school’s four-game home losing streak is its longest since 2002-03. Miles’ future at Nebraska is growing dimmer.

UP NEXT

Maryland: Hosts Purdue on Tuesday.

Nebraska: Plays at Purdue on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Pundits love to say defense wins basketball games, and Illinois coach Brad Underwood agreed wholeheartedly on Saturday as the Illini handed Nebraska its fifth straight defeat 71-64.

Kipper Nichols scored 18 points and Ayo Dosunmu 13 for Illinois (7-15, 3-8 Big Ten). Trent Frazier added 11 points for Illinois.

Underwood gave his team credit for a swarming defense, something the Illini have become known for in the conference.

“I think far and away, from a defensive standpoint, this was our best game of the year,” Underwood said. “It was fun to watch.”

James Palmer Jr. scored a game-high 22 points for Nebraska (13-9, 3-8), while Tanner Borchardt added 12 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Thomas Allen scored 11.

The Huskers were cold from the field all afternoon, hitting 25 of 70 for 36 percent, compared to Illinois’ 27 of 56 shooting for 48 percent.

“Bad shooting is like a virus,” said Nebraska coach Tim Miles. “It goes bad and then all of a sudden you’re expecting the worst.”

Illinois led by as many as 15 points late in the game, but Nebraska pulled within nine before Illinois held on for the win.

The Illini kept pace with the Huskers the first half, after jumping out to a 7-0 lead. The final five minutes of the half saw Frazier and Nichols take over for the Illinois offense. Frazier hit two 3-pointers and Nichols one to give Illinois a 38-29 lead at the half.

“Kipper played well against us previously,” Miles said. “And he made us pay again today.”

The Huskers seemed out of sync from the opening tip and shot only 32 percent from the field the first half, compared to 47 percent for Illinois.

“I thought our defense had them sped up the entire game,” Underwood said. “And that kept them out of sync, I think.”

Illinois made 9 of 23 free throws (39 percent), its worst free-throw percentage since a 2012 win over Georgia Tech.

Nebraska shot 11 of 21 from the line (52 percent).

THE BIG PICTURE

Nebraska came into Saturday’s game on a four-game losing streak following a 62-51 loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday. The Huskers are without second-leading scorer Isaac Copeland, who averaged 14 points per game, due a torn ACL. Copeland is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

Nebraska beat the Illini 75-60 in Lincoln in December, although the Illini are 10-2 all-time against Nebraska at home. The Illini beat the Huskers 72-66 at the State Farm Center last season.

Illinois has been inconsistent all season, and the previous two games were good examples. The Illini shocked then-No. 13 Maryland 78-67 on Jan. 26 at Madison Square Garden, recording its highest-ranked win in four seasons. The Illini then lost to Minnesota 86-75 just four days later.

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS

The Huskers were led by Borchardt’s 11 offensive rebounds. While out-rebounding Illinois 50-36 overall, it was Nebraska’s 21 offensive boards that stood out.

Illinois managed only eight offensive rebounds in the game.

“I was disappointed in the offensive rebound stats,” Underwood said. “We obviously need to clear that up before Tuesday (against No. 6 Michigan State).”

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING

“Offense is fleeting,” Nichols said after the game. “It comes and goes. Defensive plays win games.”

Underwood agreed.

“It was a good showing, And boy, am I happy for Kip. He works hard and is a great teammate and locker room guy. I just left him alone all week. He’s had enough people in his ear. I just let him go out and play.”

THE DAGGER

With the game waxing and waning in the final few minutes, and Nebraska making several small runs at Illinois, Frazier did what he does the most for his team.

He hit the dagger to seal the victory.

On Saturday, the dagger came in the form of a long 3-pointer with 3:07 to play that put Illinois up 65-53.

“Trent’s amazing,” Underwood said.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Hosts Maryland on Wednesday.

Illinois: Plays No. 6 Michigan State at home Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Brad Davison scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and fueled No. 24 Wisconsin’s decisive surge in the second half of a 62-51 win over Nebraska on Tuesday night.

The Badgers (15-6, 7-3 Big Ten) won their fourth straight game, frittering away a big first-half lead before pulling away in the second.

The Cornhuskers (13-8, 3-7), playing their first game without injured forward Isaac Copeland, lost their fourth straight and sixth in eight games. Their 51 points were a season low, and they made just two field goals over the last 8 1/2 minutes.

Ethan Happ and Nate Reuvers scored 10 points apiece for Wisconsin.

Isaiah Roby, who moved from center to power forward in Copeland’s absence, had 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks for the Huskers. James Palmer had 14 points and Thomas Allen added 10.

Davison scored 10 points during an 18-4 run that turned Wisconsin’s 40-37 deficit into a 55-44 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left. Roby drove the length of the floor for a lay-in that ended a five-minute field-goal drought and cut the lead to nine points.

The Huskers, who trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, tied it at 32-all when Roby spun around Happ for a left-handed lay-in. Nebraska coach Tim Miles went to one knee and pumped his fist as the ball went through the hoop and Happ was called for a foul.

The Huskers were up 40-37 before the Badgers began their decisive surge and Nebraska went into a long stretch with no field goals.

BIG PICTURE

Wisconsin: Any road win is good, and the Badgers have won six of their last seven in Big Ten play. This one wasn’t particularly pretty at times, but Davison and others stepped up on a night Happ was held mostly in check.

Nebraska: The Huskers are a mess as they try to adjust to the loss of Copeland and a crisis of confidence. Their habit of going on long scoring droughts was made worse by the fact they outrebounded Wisconsin 45-37 and a whopping 18-8 on the offensive end, but only mustered seven second-chance points.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: Hosts No. 21 Maryland on Friday.

Nebraska: Visits Illinois on Saturday.

— Associated Press —