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Nebrasketball Embarrassed in Conference Opener at Michigan State

Nebraska men's basketball failed to show up on offense or defense during the rout in East Lansing.

Kaleb Henry

Michigan State's Coen Carr, left, blocks a shot by Nebraska's Ahron Ulis during the first half.
Michigan State's Coen Carr, left, blocks a shot by Nebraska's Ahron Ulis during the first half. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The three-game win streak for Nebraska men's basketball didn't just end in East Lansing, it was destroyed.

Michigan State (8-2, 2-0 B1G) routed Nebraska (6-2, 0-1 B1G) Saturday afternoon, 89-52. The Spartans improve to 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play while the Huskers begin their league slate 0-1.

The 37-point difference is the second-most in program history for Michigan State in a conference game.

Nebraska had to grind from the beginning trailing 7-0 before finally getting on the board with a Brice Williams layup 3:09 into the game. Michigan State stretched the lead to double digits and held a 41-31 lead at halftime.

After the break, it was all Spartans.

The teams exchanged baskets before Michigan State tore off on a 25-1 run to put the game well out of reach. The Spartans led by as much as 42 points.

Nebraska's head coach Fred Hoiberg calls out to players during the first half in the game against Michigan State on Saturday,
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg calls out to players during the first half. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State shot 52% overall, including 9-of-23 from 3. The Spartans added 22 made free throws on 23 attempts.

Nebraska shot just 33% for the game, including 4-of-22 3s. NU got to the line for 18 attempts, making 12 of them.

The big difference in the game, besides the shooting, was in the rebounding battle. Michigan State had 48 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive glass. Nebraska managed just 19 total rebounds.

Two Huskers found their way into double-figure scoring. Andrew Morgan notched a team-high 14 points to go with seven rebounds. Williams added 11 points.

Nebraska returns home Friday to host Indiana. Tip is set for 7 p.m. CST on FOX.

Box score

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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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