The Nebraska men’s basketball team faces its eighth ranked team of the season, as the Huskers travel to Champaign, Ill., to take on No. 5 Illinois on Thursday night. Tipoff between the Huskers and Fighting Illini is set for shortly after 6 p.m.
Thursday’s game continues a stretch of four games in eight days that began with the 86-83 loss to Penn State. Following Thursday, the Huskers will host Minnesota on Senior Night on Saturday before taking on Rutgers on Monday.
The Huskers (5-16, 1-13 Big Ten) could not capitalize on a career night from Teddy Allen, falling to Penn State on Tuesday night. Allen carried the Husker attack, posting a career-high 41 points on 16-of-24 shooting, as well as eight rebounds and eight assists. Allen scored 28 first-half points, setting a school record, to send the Huskers into the locker room trailing 39-38. Nebraska rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to pull even at 70 with 6:20 remaining, but could not complete the comeback. Trailing by three, the Huskers had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Trey McGowens, who scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half, missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds. The Huskers just missed knocking off the Illini earlier in the season falling 77-72 in overtime in Lincoln.
Illinois (16-6, 12-4) saw its seven-game winning streak snapped with an 81-72 loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night.
