Despite not having starting center Rienk Mast and top sub Braden Frager, the No. 5 Nebraska men’s basketball team pushed No. 3 Michigan to the brink, but fell just short as the Wolverines defeated the Cornhuskers, 75-72, Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The loss snapped Nebraska’s winning streak at 24 games and ended the Huskers’ school-record 20-0 start.
Nebraska (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) expected not to have Frager, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. But just two hours before the game, Mast appeared on the Big Ten’s official availability report as questionable with illness. After warming up, Mast was held out of the game. His absence was notable down low, as the Wolverines (20-1, 9-1 Big Ten) outrebounded NU 35-23 and scored 14 second-chance points to the Huskers’ five.
Pryce Sandfort and Jamarcus Lawrence led the Huskers with 20 points each. Sam Hoiberg added 13. Morez Johnson, Jr., led Michigan with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Trey McKenney tallied 11, while Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg scored 10 each.
Nebraska bolted out to an 8-3 lead three minutes into the game. The Huskers held a one-possession lead from there until Sandfort hit a three-pointer and Hoiberg converted a steal into a layup to build a 20-14 lead with 12:51 to play in the first half. Lawrence hit back-to-back threes to build a 6-0 run to build a 28-18 lead with 10:50 to play in the first half. Nebraska held a two-possession lead for most of the rest of the half, until a 9-2 Wolverines run sliced the NU advantage to 44-42 with three minutes to go in the half. Back-to-back threes by Sandfort pushed the lead back to 50-42 with two minutes to go in the half. Michigan scored the last six points of the half to cut it to 50-48 at halftime. The Huskers shot well from beyond the arc in the first half, hitting 10-for-19 three-pointers.
Nebraska’s defense was tough to start the second half, forcing the Wolverines to miss eight of their first nine shots after halftime. Meanwhile, after the one early make cut the NU lead to 44-42, a 6-0 Huskers run boosted the Nebraska lead to 60-52 with 12:40 to play, forcing Michigan to call timeout. Nebraska held at least a two-possession lead until the Wolverines went on a 5-0 run to cut the Huskers’ lead to 66-64 with 7:12 remaining. Nebraska the lead until Michigan went on an 8-2 run, tying the game at 72 with two minutes to play. After the teams traded turnovers, a driving lineup by McKenney down the left baseline gave the Wolverines a 74-72 lead, their first lead since 3-2 early in the first half. Sandfort missed a three on the ensuing possession, and Mara drew a foul, hitting one-of-two free throws to push Michigan’s lead to 75-72 with 16 seconds to play. On the last possession, Hoiberg fired up a three from the right sideline, but it rattled off the rim and Michigan held on. Nebraska seemingly ran out of gas late, hitting just one of its last nine shots from the field to end the game while not scoring in the final 3:21 of the contest.
The Huskers have a second straight top 10 matchup Sunday, as Nebraska takes on Illinois at 3 p.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Pregame coverage begins at 2 p.m. on KLIN.