No. 5 Nebrasketball Falls at Home to No. 9 Illinois, Drops Second Straight

LINCOLN — After winning 20 straight to open the season, Nebrasketball has lost back-to-back games.

No. 5 Nebraska men's basketball wasn't able to take the rematch with No. 9 Illinois, falling at Pinnacle Bank Arena Sunday afternoon, 78-69. The Illini improved to 19-3 overall and 10-1 in the Big Ten Conference, while the Huskers fell to 20-2 on the year and 9-2 in the league.

Nebraska beat Illinois in December in Champaign, 73-70.

Illinois Fighting Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic dunks against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager and guard Cale Jacobsen. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The three-ball was the name of the game for Nebraska in the first half. Neither team was able to take control, with Illinois building a six-point lead at the 4:02 mark.

Then, Nebraska's hot shooting went to another level.

The Huskers closed the first half on a 17-5 run. NU went 11-for-20 from deep in the first 20 minutes to lead 39-33 at the break.

But that hot shooting disappeared after halftime. Nebraska stretched the lead to seven points, and then Illinois took complete control.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort drives against Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Illini put together runs of 6-0, 6-0, 5-0, and 10-0 to take their own lead to double figures. The Huskers weren't able to reignite the firepower over the final couple of minutes, falling by nine points at home. Illinois did not make a single shot in the final five minutes, instead relying on 10 made free throws to seal the deal.

For the second straight game, Nebraska was dominated in the free throw category. Illinois made 21-of-26. Nebraska, which didn't shoot a free throw until midway through the second half, shot just five, making four of them.

Although a case could be made for fouls while holding Pryce Sandfort or getting into Jamarques Lawrence as he dribbles, far too much of Nebraska's action in the second half was 25 feet away from the basket and not enough was in the paint, where fouls are more likely to be called.

Illinois outrebounded Nebraska 40-27. The Illini also grabbed 11 boards on the offensive end, but only turned that into 10 second-chance points to eight for Nebraska on six offensive rebounds.

Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) and center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) celebrate after a shot in the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska shot 42.4% for the game, including 15-of-35 on three-pointers. Illinois made 44.4% of their shots, making 9-of-30 from deep.

Illini freshman Keaton Wagler led all scorers with 28 points. He shot 7-for-15 from the field and went 10-for-12 at the line.

Husker freshman Braden Frager led NU with 20 points in his return from an ankle injury that saw him miss multiple contests. He made six three-pointers.

Pryce Sandfort (14 points), Sam Hoiberg (13 points), and Jamarques Lawrence (10 points) also scored in double figures.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Braden Frager and guard Sam Hoiberg celebrate after a shot against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska goes on the road next, taking on Rutgers in Piscataway on Saturday. Tip is set for 11 a.m. CST. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

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Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes

• Today marked the third top-10 matchup in Nebraska basketball history and the second this week. It also marked the first home top-10 matchup in school history.
Illinois snaps Nebraska’s 12-game home win streak with today’s win.
Freshman Braden Frager led Nebraska with 20 points, his fifth 20-point game of the season. He had missed NU’s last two games after spraining his ankle in the first half against Washington on Jan. 21.
Frager’s 20-point game was his fifth off the bench, while his six 3-pointers were one shy of his season best in that category.
Nebraska hit 15 3-pointers in the game, the fourth time this season the Huskers hit 15 or more 3-pointers in a game.• Nebraska went 11-of-20 from beyond the arc in the first half. The 11 makes and 20 attempts in a half are each the most of their respective category by NU this season.
The last time the Huskers made 11 3-pointers in a half was on March 15, 2024, against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Four Huskers shot in double-digits – Braden Frager (20), Pryce Sandfort (14), Sam Hoiberg (13) and Jamarques Lawrence (10).
Sandfort had four 3-pointers today and now has 77 on the season to move past Keisei Tominaga (76, 2023-24) for ninth on NU’s single-season list.
Hoiberg reached double figures for the sixth straight game and had six assists without a turnover. He now has a 5.88-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season.
Nebraska finished with 17 assists and just eight turnovers, the sixth time in the last seven games NU had 10 or fewer turnovers.
Nebraska went on an 11-0 run in the first half, recording its 24th killshot in 22 games this season.

Nebraska Men's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

Oct. 18 Nebraska 90, BYU 89
Oct. 27 Nebraska 91, Midland 50
Nov. 3 Nebraska 86, West Georgia 53
Nov. 8 Nebraska 96, Florida International 66
Nov. 11 Nebarska 69, Maryland-Eastern Shore 50
Nov. 15 Nebraska 105, Oklahoma 99 (Sanford Pentagon)
Nov. 20 Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 21 Nebraska 86, Kansas State 85 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 25 Nebraska 80, Winthrop 73
Nov. 29 Nebraska 72, South Carolina Upstate 63
Dec. 7 Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
Dec. 10 Nebraska 90, Wisconsin 60
Dec. 13 Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
Dec. 21 Nebraska 78, North Dakota 55
Dec. 30 Nebraska 86, New Hampshire 55
Jan. 2 Nebraska 58, Michigan State 56
Jan. 5 Nebraska 72, Ohio State 69
Jan. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77
Jan. 13 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55
Jan. 17 Nebraska 77, Northwestern 58
Jan. 21 Nebraska 76, Washington 66
Jan. 24 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57
Jan. 27 Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
Feb. 1 Illinois 78, Nebraska 69
Feb. 7 Rutgers 11 a.m. BTN
Feb. 10 Purdue 6 p.m. FS1
Feb. 14 Northwestern Noon BTN
Feb. 17 Iowa 8 p.m. BTN
Feb. 21 Penn State 1 p.m. BTN
Feb. 25 Maryland 6 p.m. BTN
Feb. 28 USC 3 p.m. BTN
March 3 UCLA 10 p.m. FS1
March 8 Iowa 4 p.m. FOX
March 10-15 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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