Aw, shucks

Thursday night proved to be a nice weekend appetizer for hoops fans, with a bunch of close games. And the game of the night? Did it serve as an indicator of a wild weekend?

Let's get to the news.

1. We’ve seen this Nebraska rally before …

No. 6 Wisconsin came ready Thursday night.

The Badgers jumped to a 19-point lead after just 10 minutes at Nebraska, led by 16 at halftime, and were up by 18 early in the second half. AJ Storr (18 in the first half) was unguardable, and it seemed like they would cruise, and prep for Sunday’s showdown vs. Purdue.

Except the Cornhuskers pulled off a minor miracle. Again.

For the second-straight season, Nebraska rallied from a massive deficit and beat Wisconsin, 80-72 in overtime — the only two games Wisconsin’s lost in the last 15+ seasons when leading by 17+ points.

Hoiberg’s not wrong. The Huskers (16-6, 6-5 in Big Ten) had a 20-3 run that closed it to one point, but still needed a Wisconsin cold spell to force OT. The Badgers led by five with 3:11 to play, which only ended when Storr’s layup with 20 seconds left in regulation tied the game.

From there, Rienk Mast (20 points) and Brice Williams (17) carried the Cornhuskers in OT. Mast was superb in OT, while CJ Wilcher had a team-high 22 points off the bench, including 5-of-7 from deep. It’s a huge win for Nebraska’s NCAA tourney profile. With wins over Purdue and Wisconsin, and a NET hovering around 60, this was a big bubble boost.

Wisconsin (16-5, 8-2) now turns its attention to Purdue. Storr (28 points) was marvelous, but the frontcourt of Tyler Wahl and Steven Crowl combined for just eight points and 21 rebounds. That won’t cut it against Zach Edey.

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