Three Instant Observations From Illinois Basketball's 83-80 Loss to Nebraska

With a chance to cement their status as an upper-crust Big Ten club, the Illini faltered at home against a streaking Nebraska squad

Dec 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) drives the ball to the basket during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It was never going to be easy, but it says something that No. 13 Illinois' 83-80 loss to No. 23 Nebraska on Saturday in Champaign reinforces a dispiriting trend:

The Illini don't win many of the hard ones.

They are capable, as they showed in a slobberknocker of a win over Tennessee last week, and they never folded against the Cornhuskers even after taking their best punch – several times over. Illinois overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to tie the game at halftime, and it got back-to-back threes from Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic to knot things again in the closing seconds. But it was Nebraska that landed the final, decisive blow.

NEBRASKA GETS A BIG WIN OVER No. 13 ILLINOIS 🔥 @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/USSHAicuFC

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 13, 2025

The Huskers may prove to be much better than anyone expected before the season, but that doesn't change the fact that the Illini let a winnable game get away from them on their home floor. Not exactly the stuff of a national title contender. Was it just one game? Yes. Does Illinois still have time to fix the bugs? Yup. But the Illini are healthy, six weeks into the season and yet still in figuring-things-out mode. Whatever growing pains this team had to experience now need to be put behind them.

Here are three more instant observations from Illinois' first defeat in league play and at home this season:

1. Adjustments continue to come too late

There were enough developments in Saturday's game to make a kind-hearted Illini fan say to themselves, "Well, sometimes that's just how the game goes." Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort going nuclear for 26 points in the first half. The Huskers knocking down nearly half of their three-point attempts. Spurts and runs for Illinois' offense, but little consistency.

The truth is, there were reasonable answers to most of those problems, but the Illini were too late to react or simply never found the solution. Illinois should have been denying Sandfort and then attacking him relentlessly on the other end after he started picking up fouls. Underwood eventually went to a zone – but then he stuck with it too long. On the other end, the Huskers flummoxed the Illini by hedging screens, collapsing on everything at the rim and running out their own zone – all of which Illinois wasn't ready for. These aren't magic tricks or even the hoops equivalent of Wildcat or knuckleball gimmicks. The Illini – everyone, all at once – are going to have to learn to shift gears on the fly in order to rise to their potential.

2. Keaton Wagler leveled up – again

There are college basketball freshmen with more hops, more impressive volume stats and more spectacular highlights, but it's not hyperbole to observe that there is no first-year player in the country who is more unflappable than Keaton Wagler.

Another Keaton 3!

2H 2:56 | Illinois 72, Nebraska 76 pic.twitter.com/xZ2MwnVxOw

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 13, 2025

Wagler played all 40 minutes Saturday, scoring 19, delivering a career-high 10 assists and turning it over only three times (a bundle by his standards – but impressive given the burden he carried). He hit big threes when they were needed, burrowed into the paint to finish or facilitate teammates' buckets against Nebraska's meat grinder interior defense and rarely took a false step. If Kylan Boswell (team-high 20 points) isn't Illinois' early-season MVP, the title has to go to Wagler.

3. Defense is a choice

Illinois has size, athleticism and more than a few plus defenders. Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic are excellent rim protectors. Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic can be villainous one-on-one perimeter stoppers. Even Humrichous has transformed himself into a junkyard dog. But ... there are lapses. The Illini lose focus, let up and get lazy too often. The contrast, when comparing to Nebraska's effort and connectivity, was stark.

Yes, there were some fine moments: Tomislav Ivisic had multiple quality blocks at the rim. Stojakovic helped throw a wet blanket on Standfort in the second half, adding 10 rebounds while he was at it. Illinois' late-game press even caused the Huskers a bit of trouble. But the Illini also were slow to get back and set up in the halfcourt after pressuring. They failed to close out possessions with defensive rebounds. On one late, critical layup for NU, Illinois' defense came apart at the seams.

Spirited answer from Brad Underwood when asked about the #Illini defense vs Nebraska.

"Look at our front line, there's nothing. You got a horrendous stat line from everybody that played. No rebounds, there's nothing there. That's on me."

"How does the best shooter in the Big… pic.twitter.com/Gu3fdGafXh

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) December 13, 2025

As Underwood himself mentioned recently, he isn't going to accept a team that fails to put forth its best effort. With a string of third- and fourth-tier Big Ten opponents on the way, are the Illini going to continue coasting on their talent or sharpen their talons for when the conference slate truly turns nasty?