There were tears in the Illinois locker room Saturday after Nebraska used a 36-4 run to win 80-57 and send the struggling Illini to their fifth consecutive loss.

Bo Spencer scored 27 points to help Nebraska (12-13, 4-10 Big Ten) snap a 4-game losing streak. Caleb Walked added 13 and Brandon Richardson 12.

D.J. Richardson scored 15 points for Illinois (16-11, 5-9).

But the 23-point drubbing matched a 59-36 loss at Minnesota in 2009 as the worst in Weber's nine years at the school.

It put the Illini on shaky ground to make the NCAA tournament and added pressure to the beleaguered Weber, who has been the subject of speculation that he will be fired at the end of the season.

NCAA Top-25 Men's Basketball
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#2 Syracuse Orange 74, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 64
#4 Duke Blue Devils 75, Boston College Eagles 50
#8 Michigan State Spartans 76, Purdue Boilermakers 62
#17 Wisconsin Badgers 65, Penn State Nittany Lions 55
Iowa Hawkeyes 78, #20 Indiana Hoosiers 66