Game Notes: Illinois 73, Nebraska 57

First Half

Illinois super senior Tracy Abrams picked up his second foul and had to take a seat at the 16:37 mark. Abrams is one of Illinois’ best shooters and had already knocked down one triple before taking a seat.
Illinois reeled off a 10-0 run helped by a 1-of-11 shooting stretch for the Huskers. Jack McVeigh finally ended it with a layup.
Michael Jacobson drew the seventh foul on Illinois while grabbing a defensive rebound, putting the Huskers in the bonus with 8:45 to play in the first half. He hit both free throws.
Nebraska great Aleks Maric was brought out during the U-8 timeout and received a standing ovation. It is the first time Maric has returned to Lincoln since his playing days.
Back-to-back 3-pointers (one by Tai Webster, one by Jeriah Horne) then a three-point play by Webster gave Nebraska it’s first lead since 7-5 at 22-21.
Tai Webster is a very good basketball player.
Illinois switched to a zone late in the half, likely in large part to slow down Tai Webster. They succeeded as his last made field goal came at the 5:09 mark. However, he still accounted for 19 of Nebraska’s 28 first-half points with 10 points and four assists including one for a 3-pointer.
Nebraska held Illinois senior wing Malcolm Hill (17 points per game) to five points on 2-of-6 shooting with a turnover in 19 first-half minutes. Evan Taylor and Tai Webster were his primary defenders.

Maverick Morgan, Illinois’s leading scorer in this game with 10 points, picked up his third foul with 17:37 to play and took a seat.
Four turnovers and four shot attempts (two makes) in the first five minutes of the second half for Nebraska. Illinois has pulled ahead 44-35.
Illinois is hitting all the 3s. All of them.
The fake student section countdown gets another opponent, but Malcolm Hill just hit the 3 anyway. Illini is on fire from deep.
Jack McVeigh hasn’t connected from downtown, but he has finished inside fairly well for six points in the paint.
Glynn Watson Jr. gets a steal, leading to a 3-on-1 the other way and a power jam by Ed Morrow Jr. The dunk capped a 6-0 run by the Huskers and drew a timeout from Illinois.
Jack McVeigh bumped knees trying to defend an Illinois player in space. He hopped off the court and to the bench.
This one got away from them.
Illinois shot 8-of-13 from 3 in the second half alone and 13-of-26 overall. The Huskers shot 4-of-15 from deep.