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1/18 Big Ten Recap: Nebraska Upsets OSU

Recap all the Big Ten action from Wednesday.

NCAA Basketball: Nebraska at Purdue Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

The Big Ten only had one game on Wednesday night after Iowa’s matchup with Northwestern was postponed. Fortunately, fans still got to enjoy an exciting game between Nebraska and Ohio State in Lincoln.

Let’s take a look at what happened.

Game of the Night:

-Nebraska Cornhuskers 63, Ohio State Buckeyes 60

Heading into tip, this figured to be a relatively one-sided matchup. While the Buckeyes were 10-7 overall and 15th nationally on KenPom, Nebraska was sitting with a .500 record and barely clinging on to relevance after three losses in four games. The Huskers were also an underwhelming 94th nationally on KenPom. Even if Ohio State had to work for the win, it seemed inevitable the Buckeyes would eventually take care of business and grab a road victory over the Huskers.

However, that’s not how things would play out.

Nebraska not only pushed Ohio State, but kept the game close into the final minutes before pulling off the 63-60 upset. Sam Griesel led the way with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Ohio State’s offense struggled significantly in the matchup, finishing with an underwhelming 0.83 points per possession. It was quite an effort for the Huskers.

With the win, Nebraska improved to 10-9 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play. It was easily the team’s biggest win since knocking off rival Iowa late last month and show the Huskers won’t be going quietly into the night this season. The team continues to have fight, which should excite fans with the stretch run approaching.

On the other side, Ohio State fell to 10-8 overall and 2-5 in Big Ten play with the loss. It was the team’s fifth-straight loss and its third against an opponent ranked 40th or lower by KenPom. Not exactly the type of run fans were hoping for a few weeks ago when the Buckeyes knocked off Northwestern on the road on New Year’s Day. Any realistic Big Ten title hopes are now gone, which has to be disappointing for Buckeye fans considering this is Chris Holtmann’s sixth season with the program.

Nebraska will now prepare for an intriguing road trip to Penn State on Saturday. Ohio State will hope to rebound against Iowa at home on Saturday.