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Nebraska Men's Basketball Upsets No. 16 Oregon in Eugene

The Huskers welcome their new friends from the Pacific Northwest to the Big Ten Conference with an upset.

Kaleb Henry

Nebraska guard Brice Williams dunks the ball during the first half.
Nebraska guard Brice Williams dunks the ball during the first half. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
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Nebraska men's basketball has figured something out.

After a six-game losing streak, NU has now tallied back to back wins over ranked teams. On Sunday, Nebraska beat No. 16 Oregon in Eugene, 77-71. The Huskers improve to 14-8 on the year and 4-7 in the Big Ten Conference while the Ducks fall to 16-6 overall and 5-6 in the league.

This is the first time in 26 years that Nebraska has notched four wins over AP ranked opponents during a season.

Oregon’s Jadrian Tracey, left, loses control of the ball under pressure from Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg and Berke Büyüktuncel.
Oregon’s Jadrian Tracey, left, loses control of the ball under pressure from Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg, center, and Berke Büyüktuncel during the first half. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In a game that saw neither team shoot even a respectable percentage from deep, Nebraska trailed for just 46 seconds after a Nate Bittle dunk opened the scoring for the Ducks. The Huskers answered with a 12-2 run and eventually built that lead to 15 points.

But Oregon ran off 11-straight points to cut the deficit before the half.

Out of the break, Nebraska kept Oregon at bay by answering every challenge. That's something that was severely lacking during the losing streak but has shown up the last two outings.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman gives player instructions during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Oregon head coach Dana Altman gives player instructions during the first half. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Oregon got as close as four points in the final minute, but Juwan Gary, Brice Williams, Connor Essegian, and Rollie Worster combined to make seven free throws in teh final 50 seconds to hold out for the victory.

The Huskers shot 51% for the game, including 4-of-23 on 3s. The Ducks shot 40% overall, making 5-of-20 from deep.

Both teams shot more than 20 free throws, with Nebraska going 21-for-29 and Oregon making 18-of-22.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Juwan Gary (4) dunks the ball during the first half against the Oregon Ducks.
Nebraska forward Juwan Gary dunks the ball during the first half. / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Gary and Williams had another phenomenal night as a tandem. Gary poured in 23 points to go with five rebounds, while Williams tallied 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. The pair shot 16-for-28 from the field and 16-for-19 at the free throw line.

Nebraska stays on the road in the Pacific Northwest this week to take on Washington Wednesday. Tip from Seattle is set for 9:30 p.m. CST on the Big Ten Network.

Box score

Nebraska Athletics Notes

  • With the win at No. 16 Oregon tonight, Nebraska has four wins over ranked teams which ties a school record for most ranked wins on the season. NU also had four ranked wins on three other occasions (1998-99, 1993-94, 1990-91).
  • Nebraska improves to 4-2 against ranked teams this season.
  • Nebraska has two road wins over ranked teams for the second time in the Big Ten era (also 2021-22).
  • Fred Hoiberg now has five ranked wins over road opponents at Nebraska, which ranks second among Husker basketball coaches.
  • Brice Williams finished with a game-high 28 points, his 10th 20-point game of the season and 26th of his career. Williams also grabbed seven rebounds and matched his season high with six assists (vs. North Florida, 12/1). Williams has now reached double figures in 20 of 22 games this season.
  • Juwan Gary recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season with 23 points along with five rebounds. He has had four of his seven career 20-point games this season.
  • Nebraska had multiple 20-points scorers for the fourth time this season and 16th time in Fred Hoiberg’s six seasons at Nebraska.
  • Nebraska shot 51.0 percent from the field, the first game NU has shot over 50 percent since Dec. 25 against Oregon State.
  • Nebraska held Oregon to just 40 percent shooting, the 11th opponent held to 40 percent or lower this season.
  • Berke Büyüktuncel led Nebraska with nine rebounds, matching his career high set four other times.
  • Rollie Worster finished with 11 points off the bench, the 22nd double-figure effort by a Husker reserve this season. Worster was 4-of-4 from the field tonight.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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