Nebraska storms back from down 19 to stun No. 6 Wisconsin
Nebraska kicked things into gear with the help of a second-half offensive surge on Thursday night to escape a Wisconsin upset in overtime 80-72. The big three: C.J. Wilcher, Rienk Mast and Brice Williams all combined to make up 59 of Nebraska’s 80 points — but it was Williams who sealed the deal for the Huskers to lead by eight in overtime.
This matchup had fans on the edge of their seats at Pinnacle Bank Arena as fans peered on to a Husker team that was down by 19 early in the first half. It didn’t take long for Nebraska to chop away at the Badger’s lead to make it into OT standing. Two free throws from Williams helped the Huskers take a two-point lead with 0:25 left on the clock, but a layup from Wisconsin’s AJ Storr sent the two teams to a third quarter.
WHAT A SCENE IN LINCOLN 🔥 @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/4y64Es9PaA
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) February 2, 2024
🔥 TAKE A LOOK: Here’s a look at how Nebraska chopped away at Wisconsin’s lead
Nebraska was able to hold the Badgers to just five points in OT in comparison to their 13. Wiliams, the 6-foot-5 guard, accounted for six points and was perfect from the charity stripe (4-4) in OT.
Thursday’s win put a stop to Wisconsin’s win streak and even more eyes on Nebraska for gaining their second win over a top-10 team this season. The Huskers first top-10 win was against Purdue. As the two teams sit comfortably in the top 10 of their conference, No. 6 Wisconsin (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) and Nebraska (16-6, 6-5 Big Ten) have quite a ways to go on their road to Arizona.
With March Madness being only 47 days away, the Huskers could potentially keep things rolling as they face No. 14 Illinois next. For the Badgers, they head home to prepare for a highly anticipated matchup against No. 2 Purdue.
