No. 15 Michigan-Nebraska was the most horrific CBB game this season
On Monday, Associated Press No. 15 Michigan (21-6, 13-3 in Big Ten) defeated Nebraska (17-11, 7-10 in Big Ten) in one of the ugliest games in recent Big Ten history.
The Wolverines won 49-46 in the first conference game where both teams failed to score 50 points since 2022 and just the third time in the past 10 seasons. (h/t Stathead)
Both teams shot worse than 30 percent, the first conference game in at least the last 20 seasons to achieve that ignominious feat.
Michigan was 18-of-61 (29.5 percent), including 5-of-27 (18.5 percent) from beyond the arc. Per Stathead, it was Michigan’s worst shooting percentage in a win since at least 2004-05.
Nebraska had opportunities to notch its sixth Quad 1 win but was even worse offensively. The Cornhuskers were 16-of-62 (25.8 percent), the worst shooting percentage for a Big Ten team in a conference game since the 2020-21 season.
It was the kind of game that even college basketball diehards found impossible to love.
“Let us never speak of this game again,” wrote Sports Illustrated senior write Pat Forde.
“Michigan outscores Nebraska 49-46 but of course the game does not count because the winner did not get 50,” quipped Seth Davis, Hoops HQ editor-in-chief and CBS college basketball studio analyst.
Fortunately for both teams, the game won’t disqualify either from making the NCAA Tournament, although that seems like a fair punishment.
Michigan is a projected 4-seed and Nebraska a 10-seed according to ESPN men’s NCAA Tournament bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s most recent projection.
The Cornhuskers are closer to the bubble, earning one of Lunardi’s last four byes. They are 5-9 in their previous 14 games, including a six-game losing streak from Jan. 7-26.
As bad as that skid was, Monday’s loss might have been worse.
