Nebraska Basketball: 3 takeaways from Huskers loss at Illinois

Nebraska basketball needed a win at Illinois Saturday, instead, the Huskers looked disinterested for much of the game in a 71-64 loss. Here are three takeaways.

A couple of months ago, Nebraska basketball dominated Illinois at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the two teams looked on completely different levels.

But by the time the two teams met Saturday for their rematch in Illinois, the Huskers transformed into a completely different team. Isaac Copeland is out for the season and Nebraska basketball came in a loser of four in a row.

And against one of the worst teams, record-wise, in the Big Ten, Nebraska was controlled in the first half and despite a late rally, the Huskers lost by seven, a loss that might effectively end any hopes of making the NCAA tournament.

The win improved the Fighting Illini’s record to 7-15 overall and 3-8 in the Big Ten, which now has them tied with Nebraska — for 12th place.

Certainly, if Nebraska went on some incredible winning streak and won seven of their last nine games in the Big Ten, it could possibly make the tournament, but let’s be real, that’s not happening.

The Huskers are sinking fast and after Nebraska came out with absolutely no sense of urgency Saturday on the road, it’s hard to see how this team turns it around or how Tim Miles keeps his job.

But before we look too far down the road, let’s look back at the loss to Illinois and here is a look at three key takeaways.