Nebraska pulls off historic comeback win over No. 6 Wisconsin in OT
Nebraska fans stormed the court inside Pinnacle Bank Arena to celebrate an historic 80-72 overtime win over No. 6 Wisconsin. Juwan Gary hurled the ball into the stands as the buzzer sounded and Nebraska players let loose an explosion of emotion.
They’d fallen down by as many as 19 points in the first half. They trailed by 16 at the halftime break. In coming back to win, the Huskers became the first team to rally from a 16-point halftime deficit to beat an AP top-10 team since 2002. Top-10 teams had won 1,458 consecutive such games.
In the background, coach Fred Hoiberg was in disbelief.
“It wasn’t looking good,” Hoiberg told the BTN broadcast crew immediately after the game, “but we just kept fighting.”
“I just love these guys.” ❤️
Fred Hoiberg talks postgame about what this win meant to @HuskerMBB. pic.twitter.com/1QfLeWgMgo
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 2, 2024
Wisconsin was 120-0 when leading by more than 15 points at the half since 2000. But the Huskers have made a habit of coming back to stun the Badgers. And there was no fear within this group staring at a halftime deficit.
CJ Wilcher splashed in a triple with 15:46 to go in the second half. Wisconsin missed a jumper at the other end, Brice Williams grabbed the rebound and took it himself. He knocked in a 3 of his own with 15:01 to play and suddenly the Huskers had a wave of momentum.
The Huskers kept getting stops and converting at the other end. Wilcher scored 11 more points to key a 23-5 run that tied the game with 8:44 to play. He drew a foul on a deep attempt and knocked down all three of his free throws. Twenty-three seconds later, he buried another 3.
CJ WILCHER ‼️@HuskerMBB cuts the lead to 7. 👀 pic.twitter.com/x4K5ZDp9IS
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 2, 2024
A little over a minute later, he pulled up for a heat-check triple and buried it to make it a one-point game.
The roof is about to blow off of PBA ‼️🔊 @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/IOJVSeFowc
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 2, 2024
Wilcher scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half.
“C.J. is playing with so much confidence,” Hoiberg said. “It is just so much fun to see. He puts the work in and that’s what you love, when you see that hard work paying off. He’s always coming in early and coming in extra for afternoon workouts.”
And with confidence flowing at the other end, Nebraska made the hustle plays and won 50/50 balls to force Wisconsin out of rhythm on the defensive side. Hoiberg went to his big lineup with Gary at the three and Rienk Mast at the five, and he thought that provided some defensive “pop.”
In the second half, Wisconsin shot just 36% from the field, turned it over nine times, and took only one free throw attempt.
Back-to-back 3s from Max Klesmit with 5:32 remaining restored a Wisconsin lead, but Nebraska would not be denied. Wilcher hit a jumper with 4:30 remaining. Mast, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight boards, hit a pair of 3s in the final four minutes. Williams knocked down two free throws with 25 seconds remaining to give NU a two-point lead.
A layup from Wisconsin with 20 seconds to go forced overtime, but Wisconsin was spent.
The Badgers scored five points in the OT period. They missed six of their seven shots and two of their four free throw attempts. Nebraska made 4-of-5 and Willliams converted all four of his foul shots to outscore the Badgers 13-5 in the period.
“We jumped them at halftime,” Hoiberg said. “That is about as animated as I’ve been at a halftime. To their credit, they came out and responded. That is what it is all about. You’ve got to find a way to bounce back when things aren’t going your way.”
Nebraska (16-6, 6-5 Big Ten) has been just about indomitable inside The Vault. The Huskers are 14-1 at home this season. They knocked off No. 1 Purdue, 88-72, on Jan. 9. Hoiberg’s attention in the aftermath immediately shifted to the road struggles (1-5 away from home) but it felt good to celebrate another big-time victory in front of Husker faithful.
“Best environment I’ve seen since I’ve been here, for sure,” Hoiberg said. “They absolutely were a huge part. When CJ cut it to seven when we finally got it under 10, the roof blew off the place and then we just kept chipping away.”
Nebraska has a quick turnaround. It’ll face No. 14 Illinois on the road on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN).