Late Lead Slips Away Against Huskers

Saturday, January 10

Bloomington, Ind.

Noon

Indiana University

12-4,3-2Big Ten

Nebraska

16-0,5-0Big Ten

Nebraska

Indiana

1/10/2026 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery Postgame Quotes Postgame Notes Watch | Highlights Watch | Darian DeVries Postgame Press Conference Photo Gallery

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana got 32 points from Lamar Wilkerson, but it wasn't enough to hold of Nebraska in an 83-77 loss at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Wilkerson went 9-of-20 from the field overall, including 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, and he converted all nine of his free-throw attempts. But Indiana shot just 36.7% from the floor in the second half while the Cornhuskers converted 56.7% of their attempts overall and made eight threes to send IU to its first home loss of the season. Indiana was also haunted by 14 turnovers that led to 11 Nebraska points.

The teams played a physical first half that wasn't marred by a lot of fouls. The Hoosiers and the Huskers both showed fantastic ball movement while playing long stretches of uninterrupted basketball.

Nebraska ground out a six-point lead in the first four minutes of the game, going up 10-6 following a 3-pointer from the Huskers' Jamarques Lawrence. Wilkerson answered with a three of his own on IU's next possession, but back-to-back buckets from Nebraska's Rienk Mast pushed the edge to seven at 14-7 at the first media timeout.

Indiana came back behind a 3-pointer from forward Tucker DeVries off a pass from Conor Enright, then guard Nick Dorn nailed a triple of his own to pull IU within 14-13.

The Hoosiers trailed 20-15 with 9:26 left in the half when their offense started to come alive. Forward Reed Bailey scored on a put-back off a Wilkerson miss from deep, then Wilkerson scored on a driving lay-up, was fouled, and converted the three-point play to tie the game.

The teams traded baskets a few possessions before Wilkerson and Dorn hit a pair of threes to put IU up by five at 33-28. Baskets from Bailey, Wilkerson, and Conerway helped push IU to a 39-30 lead at the break.

IU kept up the pressure after halftime and extended its lead, scoring six of the first nine points of the second half, and a Wilkeson three with 17:42 to play put Indiana up by 15. He also was fouled on the play, and he converted the free throw to push IU's lead to 49-33.

But Nebraska is ranked in the top-10 for a reason, and the Huskers put together a 22-6 run that erased the lead completely. A Bailey dunk off a pass from Conerway stopped the bleeding, but Mast scored on a hook with 10:45 to play that left the game tied at 57.

IU rebuilt its lead to six—three of the points coming of a trio of free throws from Wilkerson after he was fouled on a shot from deep, but the Huskers answered with a three from Pryce Sandfort and another triple from Lawrence to keep the score tied at 65-all.

Indiana struggled to string together stops, and Nebraska used a 12-3 run to take control of the game. The Huskers' versatility and ability to knock down shots showed up just as IU had some empty possessions, and Nebraska took a 77-68 lead with 2:16 to play.