COLUMBUS, Ohio – Once may be a coincidence, but twice? Twice it makes you think.
Nebraska beat Ohio, 23rd, 78-70 on Tuesday for their second impressive road trip in three days and their first victory against a ranked opponent in nearly three years.
The Haskers have lost 24 consecutive teams against the Top 25 since beating Maryland on March 14, 2019. But against the Bucks, who needed a win to keep up the double farewell pace in the Big Ten, the Haskers were looking to control long stretches.
They led 29 of 40 minutes. They shot at least 49% of the field and 39% of 3 for the second consecutive game. And in the last week of the regular season, they seem to have found their way.
All thanks to a game plan that Nebraska coach Fred Heuberg said was completed in about 90 minutes.
“The boys (went out) and (performed) it, (locked) in it,” Hoiberg said on his post-match radio show. “It just speaks to how much is invested in this thing, and that’s not the case with most teams that fight.”
People also read …
Bryce McGowans led NU with 26 points, his 11th performance with 20 points this season. His brother Trey landed an invisible crown on Bryce’s head as they crossed the handshake line.
CJ Wilcher added 15 to 6 of 11 shots, ahead of Ryan Anderson for second place on the Nebraska freshman’s 3-point list. And Alonzo Verge, often the infamous Haskers defender, made 11 assists to continue with 13 points and five rebounds.
Yes, Zed Ki missed the match with an ankle injury. Kyle Young also missed the second half due to illness. But the Huskers looked like they belonged to one of the top ten in the Big Ten.
They showed their audacity when McGowens pushed the crowd away after hitting 3 to silence the home crowd with 13:33 per game. And they showed off their scrap by diving for loose balls, one of which led to the beating and ejection of wounded OSU striker Seth Towns. And although they failed to score in the last four minutes, they held on to a massive victory that was gaining momentum.
“It’s just fun to see how much they’re together,” Hoiberg said. “Our boys (showed) endurance down. That we can finish this is a great testament to our boys. “
EJ Liddell leads the Buckeyes with 27 points and 14 rebounds (5 offensive). Malachi Branham, McGowans’ biggest freshman of the year from the Big Ten, finished with 16 points in 5 of 11 shots.
Branham scored 35 against Haskers on January 2, but that was without Trey McGowans, who chased Branham all night and used all five of his fouls.
Nebraska continued their recent hot shot on the way to a 43-39 lead at halftime. The Haskers shot 55% of the field and 50% of 3 in the first half, just two days after shooting Penn State from their home gym in Senior Night.
Wilher scored 13 of his 15 points and his three 3 points before halftime.
Bryce McGowans scored 12 of his 26 in the first half. And Verge made nine of his 11 assists.
The Huskers remained hot in the second half and won their first win over a ranked opponent after beating Maryland in the Big Ten in 2019. As of Tuesday, the Huskers have to play again against Terps in the first round of the Big Ten. But the Haskers could still win the 13th place if they beat Wisconsin this weekend, and Minnesota lost both games this week.
NU will play Wisconsin on the road at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Badgers defeated NU 73-65 on January 27 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska will be looking for its first series of three wins in a 2018 conference game.
If that seems unlikely, so did the first two.
“The two hardest things in this business are overcoming a lot of emotional loss and finding a way to leave a big profit behind,” Heuberg said. “In order for our boys to do this in a year in which we haven’t had many of them, this again shows you what it’s all about.”
