A stingy Nebraska defense, which held Illinois to 35.6 percent from the field and took advantage of 17 Illini turnovers, helped the unranked Huskers to an upset win Thursday, beating No. 18 Illinois 80-74 in overtime in Lincoln, Neb.
It was Nebraska’s third win this season over a ranked team and snapped a six-game losing streak for the Huskers. The game also halted a nine-game losing streak to Illinois, which dated back to Feb. 2, 2019.
An Upset in Lincoln ‼️@HuskerMBB takes down No. 18 Illinois 👏#B1GMBBall pic.twitter.com/F9Y05ej0RF
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 31, 2025
Nebraska didn’t trail all night and built as much as a 10-point lead midway through the second half. But Illinois didn’t go away, tying the game at 70-70 on a 3 from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn with 46 seconds left. Nebraska missed its next attempt and Illinois had the ball with 18 seconds to play in regulation, but Nebraska wisely used its fouls to keep Illinois from running a clean play or getting a good look, forcing extra time.
It is the third loss in four games for Illinois.
Illinois looked out of sync all night, evidenced by the Illini handing out just seven assists, all in the second half. While the Illini sputtered around the floor the Huskers took excellent care of the ball, not recording a turnover until the second half (they finished with seven). They also turned those 17 Illinois throwaways into 17 points and outscored Illinois 44-28 in the paint.
Husker guard Brice Williams led all scorers with 27 points, including a bucket with 43 seconds to play in overtime that gave Nebraska a 78-72 lead and served as the dagger. Illinois connected on only one of its last eight attempts, missing its final four shots.
Nebraska also did a tremendous job containing Illinois forward Ben Humrichous, who averages nine points per game but went 0-for-8 from the field Thursday, scoring just one point.
Required reading
(Photo: Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)
