Rayvonte Rice scored 23 and led Illinois to a badly needed win over Nebraska Wednesday, 69-57.
The Illini (19-11, 9-8 Big Ten) have won two straight as they look for a way into the NCAA tournament.
Nebraska (13-16, 5-12) has lost seven games in a row and nine of its last 10.
Rice had a quiet six-point first half but scored 17 in the second 20 minutes. That included seven straight over a key stretch midway through the half that brought Illinois back from a 40-39 deficit to a 46-42 lead.
He drilled home a long 3-pointer with 1:35 left in the game to give Illinois a 59-50 lead.
Kendrick Nunn and Leron Black added 11 each for Illinois.
Shavon Shields led Nebraska with 14 points. Terran Petteway added 13.
>>Michigan State Downs Purdue; Sets Up Showdown Between Bubble Teams Saturday
Travis Trice finished with 27 points and six assists as the Michigan State Spartans downed the Purdue Boilermakers, 72-66, in a Big Ten Conference matchup at the Breslin Center.
Denzel Valentine contributed 17 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (20-10, 11-6 Big Ten), who snapped a two-game losing streak with the decision. Matt Costello provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 25 minutes.
Kendall Stephens paced Purdue (19-11, 11-6) with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. Dakota Mathias chipped in 12 points, while Jon Octeus tallied 11 points and five assists. The loss was the second in a row for the Boilermakers, who will close out their regular season slate at home versus Illinois on Saturday.
>>Notre Dame Tops Louisville At Yum Center
Demetrius Jackson led four Notre Dame players in double figures with 21 points to help the No. 12 Fighting Irish earn a tough 71-59 road win at No. 16 Louisville on Wednesday.
Bonzie Colson scored nine of his 17 points in the final 10 minutes to help Notre Dame (25-5, 13-4 ACC) hold off a second-half comeback attempt from Louisville. The Fighting Irish also got 12 points and seven assists from Jerian Grant and 10 points from Steve Vasturia.
Louisville (23-7, 11-6) received a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds from Montrezl Harrell. Terry Rozier and Wayne Blackshear each added 11 points.
>>Ohio State Downs Penn State
D'Angelo Russell racked up 28 points and carried Ohio State in the second half as the 23rd-ranked Buckeyes rallied for a 77-67 victory over Penn State.
The sensational freshman did most of his damage during a 29-6 swing that turned a 38-29 deficit into a 14- point Buckeyes lead just past the midway stage of the second half.
Russell accounted for 17 points during the game- deciding burst, which helped Ohio State (22-8, 11-6 Big Ten) remain in the hunt for a double-bye in next week's Big Ten Tournament.
Ohio State, which hosts conference leader and sixth-ranked Wisconsin Saturday in its regular-season finale, used a similar formula to down Purdue three days prior. The Buckeyes overcame a 12-point halftime deficit in that one, with Russell tallying 17 of his 28 points after the break.
D.J. Newbill eclipsed the career 2,000-point mark for Penn State (15-15, 3-14) in his final game at the Jordan Center, and finished with 17. Fellow senior Ross Travis posted 14 points and eight rebounds in defeat.
>>NCAA Scoreboard
#3 Duke 94, Wake Forest 51
#24 Providence 79, Seton Hall 66
