Nebraska Men’s Basketball Upsets No. 16 Oregon in Eugene

Nebraska men’s basketball has figured something out.

After a six-game losing streak, NU has now tallied back to back wins over ranked teams. On Sunday, Nebraska beat No. 16 Oregon in Eugene, 77-71. The Huskers improve to 14-8 on the year and 4-7 in the Big Ten Conference while the Ducks fall to 16-6 overall and 5-6 in the league.

This is the first time in 26 years that Nebraska has notched four wins over AP ranked opponents during a season.

In a game that saw neither team shoot even a respectable percentage from deep, Nebraska trailed for just 46 seconds after a Nate Bittle dunk opened the scoring for the Ducks. The Huskers answered with a 12-2 run and eventually built that lead to 15 points.

But Oregon ran off 11-straight points to cut the deficit before the half.

Out of the break, Nebraska kept Oregon at bay by answering every challenge. That’s something that was severely lacking during the losing streak but has shown up the last two outings.

Oregon got as close as four points in the final minute, but Juwan Gary, Brice Williams, Connor Essegian, and Rollie Worster combined to make seven free throws in teh final 50 seconds to hold out for the victory.

The Huskers shot 51% for the game, including 4-of-23 on 3s. The Ducks shot 40% overall, making 5-of-20 from deep.

Both teams shot more than 20 free throws, with Nebraska going 21-for-29 and Oregon making 18-of-22.

Gary and Williams had another phenomenal night as a tandem. Gary poured in 23 points to go with five rebounds, while Williams tallied 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. The pair shot 16-for-28 from the field and 16-for-19 at the free throw line.

Nebraska stays on the road in the Pacific Northwest this week to take on Washington Wednesday. Tip from Seattle is set for 9:30 p.m. CST on the Big Ten Network.

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