In what is easily the best game so far of the year, the No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers remained undefeated with an 83-80 victory over the No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini on the road.
Payton Sandfort exploded for a career-high 32 points, scoring 26 in the first half alone and jumpstarting Nebraska with the team’s first 15 points. The Huskers built an early double-digit lead, but Illinois closed the half on a 13-0 run to tie it at 37-37.
Nebraska regained momentum in the second half, pushing the advantage to 61-51 behind Rienk Mast’s scoring. Illinois battled back to tie the game at 80 in the final seconds, but Jamarques Lawrence drained a dramatic three-pointer at the buzzer to seal the win. Lawrence finished with 14 points and a team-high six assists, while Mast added 17 points and seven rebounds. Jared Garcia chipped in 10 second-half points. The Huskers shot an impressive 51.6% from the field and 46.2% from three-point range.
With the victory, Nebraska improved to 11-0 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play, marking the best start in program history. The win also extended their school-record win streak to 15 games dating back to last season. This season looks like the one when Nebraska finally gets that monkey off its back and makes a legitimate run in the tourney if they can stay on course.