NU's upset falls short in overtime loss to No. 13 Ohio State

The silver lining of Nebraska’s 87-79 loss to No. 13 Ohio State on Sunday night was that it looked like that drastically improved team in several important areas compared to where it was just a few weeks earlier.

Yet the game still ended in another disappointing defeat, one in which the Huskers led by five with just 36 seconds remaining in regulation and still somehow found a way to lose.

Bryce McGowens had 18 points, while Derrick Walker scored 15 with 10 rebounds and three steals to help NU overcome multiple eight-point deficits. But that wasn’t enough to keep up with a career performance from Malaki Branham, who dropped 35 points and was 6-of-10 from behind the arc.

Branham had made just five threes all season before Sunday night.

Nebraska falls to 6-8 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten Conference play with the loss. The Huskers have now lost 19 straight games to ranked opponents dating back to the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.

A rocky shooting start eventually dug Nebraska into a 14-6 deficit out of the gates, and Ohio State pushed its lead up to eight again at 30-22 with just under five minutes to go in the first half.

But both times, the Huskers were able to answer back with runs of 8-0 and then 10-0 to only go into halftime down 34-32.

Behind 13 points from its bench, NU was able to withstand seven Buckeye 3-pointers, eight offensive rebounds, and a monster first half from Branham, who scored 21 of his 35 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-8 from behind the arc.

After NU tied the game three times to start the second period, Ohio State again built up another eight-point lead at 59-51 with just over 10 minutes left to play. And just like the times before, Nebraska came back with an 8-0 run and had it knotted at 59-59 less than a minute and a half later.

Five straight points from Walker eventually gave NU its first lead of the second half, and then a dunk by Lat Mayen put the Huskers up by their largest margin of the night at 72-67 with 36 seconds left in regulation.

A 3-pointer by Jamari Wheeler cut the lead to two, and Mayen then was fouled with 22 seconds remaining. The junior forward missed both attempts and then fouled E.J. Liddell after an offensive rebound with nine seconds on the clock.

Liddell hit both free throws to tie it at 72-72, and Nebraska missed two shots before the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Ohio State’s offense flipped a switch from there, going 4-for-5 from the field, 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line to control the entire OT. Conversely, the Huskers shot 2-of-7 in the extra period.

C.J. Wilcher had 13 points in 34 minutes off the bench, including starting the second half over Keisei Tominaga. Kobe Webster subbed in and added eight points in 31 minutes.

Wheeler finished with 16 points and was 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, but former first-team All-Big Ten selection Liddell was held to a season-low 10 points on just 2-of-14 shooting from the field.

1. Nebraska was better, but still not good enough

Compared to how it looked in humiliating losses to Michigan and Auburn less than a month ago, Nebraska acted and played significantly better against the 13th-ranked team in the country.

However, all of that improvement ended up getting overshadowed by the Huskers’ continued inability to make winning plays when it mattered the most.

Mayen’s two missed free throws with 22 seconds left in regulation stood out as the most glaring missed opportunity, but many others proved to be just as critical.

After Liddell’s two free throws tied it up at 72-72, head coach Fred Hoiberg said the ensuing possession was designed to get McGowens a look for the final shot. Instead, Webster threw up a wild runner in traffic that missed, and then Walker got the offensive rebound and was swatted as time expired.

That flop to end the second half impacted NU’s defensive effort in overtime. Wilcher said the Huskers “came out a little dead” in OT and Ohio State hit three 3-pointers out of the gates that “kind of drained us.”

There were plenty of positives for Nebraska to take away from the loss, but in the end, it found itself still talking about moral victories in a game it could have - and should have - won.

2. Walker did his part

Nebraska knew coming into the game that it would likely be at a severe disadvantage against one of the most physical frontcourts in the Big Ten in Ohio State.

That certainly played out early, as the Buckeyes hauled in six offensive rebounds on their first 10 missed shots and converted them into seven second-chance points.

But as the Huskers found ways to rally back time and again, Walker was generally at the forefront leading the charge with his play on both ends of the floor.

The junior forward posted his fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, along with a career-high four steals. Just as importantly, he helped keep Liddell in check all night and made other OSU players have to step up.

Walker scored seven of NU’s final 11 points in regulation, and he recorded seven rebounds and three steals in the second half.

His play defensively helped the Huskers limit their rebounding discrepancy to 42-34 overall and 13-11 on the offensive glass. Nebraska also ended up out-scoring OSU in the paint 38-28 and tied with 12 second-chance points each.

3. Hoiberg changed up the backcourt after halftime

Sunday was a night to forget for Alonzo Verge Jr., who finished with his second-lowest scoring output of the season with six points on just 1-of-6 shooting from the field.

It wasn’t Tominaga’s night either, as he had seven points while going 1-for-4 on 3-pointers.

As a result, Hoiberg switched things up a bit with his backcourt in the second half. Verge and Tominaga played just eight and seven minutes, respectively, in the second half.

In their place, Webster saw 18 of his 31 minutes in the second half and overtime, and Wilcher started the second half and played 23 of his 34 minutes after halftime.

Webster, McGowens, and even Walker took over as the primary ball handlers and facilitators over the final 25 minutes.

Nebraska went from averaging 1.000 points per possession in the first half to 1.250 in the second. It also improved its scoring percentage from 46.9 to 56.3 and cut its turnover percentage from 15.6 to 6.3.

Hoiberg made sure to credit Verge for keeping a positive attitude and cheering on his teammates from the bench.

It’s unlikely Nebraska will make any permanent changes based on Sunday’s second-half adjustments, but it at least showed that Hoiberg has other options when Verge struggles.