Nebraska is the first to tell you it will eventually fail.
As the Cornhuskers were off to their best start in franchise history at 20-0, players told USA TODAY Sports in December: “We’re not going to go undefeated.” Losses are going to happen, it’s just a matter of time.
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It finally happened on Tuesday, Jan. 27, as Nebraska cracked the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the first time, falling to No. 2 Michigan State in a tight Big Ten matchup.
We will learn a lot during the game. Is it legal in Nebraska? Is Michigan still a favorite for the Big Ten and national titles?
As it turns out, both are true.
This is an interesting game that shows Michigan State is still on its way to the Final Four and the Cornhuskers can no longer be ignored. Wolverines are real. The same goes for Nebraska basketball — even in defeat.
“It proves to everyone, and most importantly to the guys in the locker room, that we can compete with anybody in the country,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.
Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9), Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) and guard Sam Hoiberg (1) look for a first-half rally at the Crisler Center.
michigan must real Work for this. The team that blows all the teams out of the water at the start of the season is the team that tries to swim out of the rip current. After Michigan State jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the first two minutes, Nebraska took control and easily held on to the lead.
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The corn husks are on fire. Jamarques Lawrence is a post player and the rest of the team seems to be practicing every shot in the air. Nebraska is averaging 10 3-pointers per game and did so in just 18 minutes. The Wolverines looked stunned. They couldn’t keep up, falling behind by 11 points in the first game and by halftime. Oh, and all of that happened with Nebraska’s second and third scorers, Reinke Mast and Brayden Frege, out.
It was an ugly second half. However, that suits Michigan and Nebraska is inexperienced.
The Cornhuskers couldn’t sustain their hot shooting, allowing the Wolverines to linger. The game went from a fast-paced shooting frenzy to a physical affair that didn’t suit Nebraska. Michigan got to the free throw line while turning up the intensity on defense.
Although Michigan shot 6-for-24 (25%) in the second half and committed 11 turnovers, it shot 14-for-17 from the free throw line. Nebraska shot only four free throws all game, and the Magic made 1 of 13 shots in the second half. Michigan only made one field goal in the final five minutes, but the Cornhuskers were held scoreless in the final three minutes.
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It’s not pretty, but it can happen. Even when everything goes wrong, great teams find a way to win. You need wins like this to get ready for March, which will inevitably happen as the competition gets tougher with each round.
As January comes to a close, Michigan State remains atop the Big Ten. It’s a top candidate to become the first in the league to win a national championship since 2000. It struggled in its first month of Big Ten play, losing just one game. If the Wolverines go all out, there’s little hope for their opponents.
Meanwhile, Nebraska proved its legitimacy. People have been wary of believing that the Cornhuskers are real and want to see how they stack up against their top foes. The Cornhuskers nearly beat Michigan without two of their top three scorers.
“A lot of people predicted this team would win a national championship,” Hoiberg said. “You fought them all the way to the end and you lost by a basket. It shows the character of our team and it shows that we can compete with anyone in the country.”
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Michigan had to admit they were the underdog for much of the game. The Cornhuskers were slow to get the deal done because they had run out of steam. There are wins and losses, and Nebraska is still ready to compete in the Big Ten and make some program history in the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re going to compete for the Final Four, and I think we just put ourselves in the conversation,” Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg said.
It was a great battle and you can only imagine what this game would be like in Lincoln with the Cornhuskers firing on all cylinders. Or better yet, in the playoffs.
“Hopefully we’ll see them in March, April,” Michigan coach Dusty May said on Peacock after the game.
We hope so, because both teams are capable of doing some magic.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Michigan and Nebraska are both top-five game winners