No. 3 Michigan beats No. 5 Nebraska 75-72 to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss

By Canadian Press on January 27, 2026.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Trey McKenney made a tiebreaking layup with 1:07 left and No. 3 Michigan rallied past No. 5 Nebraska 75-72 on Tuesday night to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss this season.

Morez Johnson Jr. had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolverines (19-1, 9-1 Big Ten), who trailed for 36-plus minutes before holding Nebraska scoreless over the final 3:15.

Jamarques Lawrence missed a 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining for the short-handed Cornhuskers (20-1, 9-1), and Sam Hoiberg missed a jumper just before the buzzer.

Nebraska had won 24 straight games dating to last season, including four victories in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament at Las Vegas last April. That was the longest winning streak in Division I since the 2014-15 Kentucky team went 38-0 before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four.

The previous defeat for the Cornhuskers came in their regular-season finale last year, 83-68 to Iowa at home on March 9.

McKenney finished with 11 points for Michigan. Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara scored 10 apiece.

NO. 2 UCONN 87, PROVIDENCE 81

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Tarris Reed Jr. scored seven of his 19 points in the final five minutes as UConn beat Providence 87-81 to become the first team to open 10-0 in Big East play in seven years.

Solo Ball had 17 points, Silas Demary Jr. added 15 points and six assists, and Eric Reibe had 14 points and eight rebounds for UConn. The Huskies opened a season 20-1 for the sixth time, but the first since 1998-99. Villanova in 2018-19 was the last team to start 10-0 in the Big East.

Malachi Smith, 1 for 8 from 3-point range in his previous 13 games, made his first four and had 12 points and seven assists as the Huskies won their 16th straight game.

Jamier Jones had 20 points and Jaylin Sellers added 18 for Providence (9-12, 2-8).

NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 88, RUTGERS 79, OT

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Jeremy Fears scored 27 of his career-high 29 points in the second half and overtime, and Michigan State outlasted Rutgers.

Fears also had nine assists, including a pass to Divine Ugochukwu for the tying 3-pointer from the corner with 11 seconds left in regulation.

When the Spartans (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten) scored the first points of overtime on two free throws by Jaxon Kohler, it was their first lead since they were ahead 9-8. Michigan State pushed ahead 78-73 and led comfortably from there on the way to its seventh straight win.

Tariq Francis scored 23 points and missed a floater at the regulation buzzer that could have won it for Rutgers, (9-12, 2-8) which has lost four in a row.

Fears was 16 of 17 from the free-throw line and 6 of 12 from the field. Coen Carr scored 13 points for the Spartans, and Carson Cooper had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Harun Zrno added 16 points for the Scarlet Knights, Jamichael Davis had 15 and Darren Buchanan Jr. scored 14.

NO. 15 ARKANSAS 83, OKLAHOMA 79

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Freshman star Darius Acuff Jr. had 21 points and nine assists, and Arkansas held off Oklahoma.

Meleek Thomas added 16 points for the Razorbacks (16-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who have won four of their past five games.

Arkansas shot 55.6% from the field despite making just 2 of 17 3-pointers.

Nijel Pack scored 22 points for Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7 SEC), which lost its seventh straight. The Sooners were coming off a heartbreaking loss at Missouri on Saturday that included buzzer-beaters by the Tigers to tie late in regulation and win in overtime.

NO. 17 VIRGINIA 100, NOTRE DAME 97, 2OT

SOUTH BEND, Ind.. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored a career-high 32 points and Virginia matched the biggest comeback in school history, rallying from a 19-point first-half deficit to beat Notre Dame in double overtime.

Sam Lewis added 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers (17-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), and his 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in the first OT tied it at 85-all. Lewis also scored Virginia’s final four points after De Ridder fouled out with 45 seconds left in the second OT.

Virginia also had a 19-point comeback on Nov. 12, 2006 to beat Arizona in the inaugural game at John Paul Jones Arena.

Cole Certa led Notre Dame (11-10, 2-6) with a career-high 34 points. Jalen Haralson added 20, Braeden Shrewsberry scored 18 and Brady Koehler had 16 for the Fighting Irish, who have lost six of seven.

NO. 21 SAINT LOUIS 79, GEORGE WASHINGTON 76

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robbie Avila scored a season-high 22 points and hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to lift Saint Louis to a victory over George Washington.

Trey Green matched career bests with 23 points and six 3-pointers for the Billikens (20-1, 8-0 Atlantic 10), who won their 14th straight game and are off to the best 21-game start in school history.

Tyrone Marshall and Christian Jones each scored 15 points, and Rafael Castro had 12 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and three steals for George Washington (13-8, 4-4). The Revolutionaries were seeking their first road win against a Top 25 team in 24 tries, dating to an upset of top-ranked Massachusetts in 1996.

NO. 23 ALABAMA 90, MISSOURI 64

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Latrell Wrightsell scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, and Labaron Philon Jr. had 18 as Alabama routed Missouri.

Aiden Sherrell added 16 points and Charles Bediako had 14 for the Crimson Tide. Wrightsell went 7 for 10 from 3-point distance and took only one shot inside the arc.

Alabama (14-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) debuted a new starting lineup with the 7-foot Bediako, allowed to play again after a judge delayed a hearing in his eligibility case against the NCAA. Bediako also grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes on the court.

After its lowest-scoring output of the season last Saturday against Tennessee, Alabama responded with an efficient offensive showing. The Crimson Tide knocked down 15 shots from 3-point range, shot 88% at the free-throw line, well above its season average of 74%, and recorded 19 assists after a season-low nine last Saturday.

The Crimson Tide closed the final 6:53 of the first half on a 17-6 run that extended a 26-23 lead to a 42-29 halftime advantage. A 16-2 second-half run, sparked by 12 points from Wrightsell, gave Alabama a 70-46 lead with 8:10 to play.

Missouri (14-7, 4-4) was led by T.O. Barrett’s 13 points and 11 from Mark Mitchell. It was the fourth loss in six games for the Tigers, and this was their worst offensive performance in SEC play. Missouri’s 64-point output was its lowest in a conference games this season.

The Associated Press