Bob's buzzer beaters | I don't believe what I just saw

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska needed overtime to dispatch No. 18 Illinois in an 80-74 Big Ten decision at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday night. 

The Illini — despite turnover woes and a cold night from the field — overcame a 10-point second-half deficit en route to the final outcome, which marked Illinois' fifth conference loss of the season. 

Here are 10 takeaways from the thriller, which was highlighted by 18 points from Kasparas Jakucionis, 16 points from Will Riley and 15 points from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. 

1. The Illini made just one of their first 13 three-point attempts en route to a 10-42 mark for the game, with Will Riley's four three-pointers leading Illinois' charge from deep. Nebraska, on the other had, had fewer makes from the field (31) than Illinois had missed threes (32). 

2. Brice Williams provided the bulk of the Cornhuskers' offense, finishing with 27 points on a 10-26 effort from the field. Connor Essegian added 14 points and Juwan Gary chipped in 13 points. 

3. Solid starts from Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (who had six early points) and Tre White (eight early rebounds) helped Illinois overcome its shooting struggles in the early stages. Thursday marked the seventh time Gibbs-Lawhorn finished with 10 or more points in a game this season. 

4. White nearly recorded a season-high in rebounds in the first 13 minutes of the game, eventually eclipsing his previous high of 11 with 13 rebounds overall. For the game, Illinois won the rebounding battle by a 58-41 margin, including a 20-13 edge on the offensive glass. 

5. Jakucionis continued one of the nation's best freshman campaigns with an 18-point output. Thirteen of Jakucionis' points came in the second half as Illinois overcame a 40-31 halftime deficit. The downside for Jakucionis? The Lithuanian had a team-high six turnovers as well. 

6. Turnovers plagued Illinois throughout Thursday's game; the Illini gave the ball up 17 times compared to Rutgers' six giveaways. Illinois led that category 14-4 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second half. 

7. Illinois trailed 49-41 with 14:34 remaining in the game. Enter Riley, who scored Illinois' next five baskets to ignite a stretch that saw the Illini cut the deficit to 66-64 with 3:05 remaining.

Illinois eventually tied the game at 70 with 46 seconds left when Jakucionis hit a three. Moments later, Gibbs-Lawhorn hit a three that tied the game with 46 seconds left. Gibbs-Lawhorn was on the bench for the final play of regulation — a missed three from Riley — and Illinois couldn't overcome six points from Williams in the final five minutes of play. 

8. The winning streak ended at nine for the Illini in this series, with Illinois' last loss before Thursday night to the Cornhuskers coming in the form of a 75-60 decision on Dec. 2, 2018. That game was played in Lincoln, where the Illini are now 8-5 since 1945. Illinois fares even better at home; it is 15-2 against Nebraska at State Farm Center, with its only losses coming in 1921 (in the series' first installment) and 2016. 

9. Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe were on the call for FS1 tonight. It was a homecoming of sorts for Bahe, a Lincoln, Neb. native who began his college career at Kansas before transferring to Creighton to play from 2006-08. 

10. A matchup with Ohio State at State Farm Center on Sunday now looms large for Illinois. The Illini swept the Buckeyes in a pair of matchups last season and haven't lost to the Buckeyes in Champaign since an 86-83 loss on Feb. 24, 2022. Ohio State beat Penn State 83-64 on Thursday night.