Nebraska basketball: Huskers upset Wisconsin in record-selling night at Pinnacle Bank Arena

Nebraska 77 No. 9 Wisconsin 68

Player of the Game:
Shavon Shields- Yep, I'm giving it to him again. The kid just makes this team so much better. Terran Petteway was brilliant as well. Benny Parker forced one of the Big Ten's best point guards into

Husker co-captain Shavon Shields makes his way
through the court-storming crowd Sunday night.

4 turnovers. But it all comes down to Mr. Shields. His dribble penetration was lethal. Wisconsin had no answer for him. No one could guard him. The only time he was stopped was when he missed his shot. If he keeps playing this well, 26 points on 58 percent shooting, Nebraska will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.

Key Stat:
Points off turnovers- Wisconsin doesn't turn the ball over. That's become a proven fact in college basketball. The Badgers only do it eight times a game, best in the country. However, the Huskers were able to force a few, 11 actually. Then they scored 17 points off those takeaways and then they protected the ball themselves, finishing with only five. That's a strong formula for beating a Top 10 opponent.

Play of the Game:
There was a dull in the energy. A once rocking Pinnacle Bank Arena had seemed to stall a little. Mainly because Nebraska wasn't giving it anything to cheer about. Until the under-eight media timeout. Ray Gallegos had just hit a three to put the Huskers up one, when Parker poked the ball away from Traevon Jackson. Petteway dove after the loose ball, tipping it ahead to a streaking Shields. He then dunked it over Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes, giving Nebraska all the momentum it needed to pull off the upset.

Other Notes:
-ESPN braketologist now has Nebraska as one of the last four teams to receive a bye in the NCAA Tournament.
-Nebraska collected its second win over an AP Top-10 team this season, the fifth time in school history that has happened and the first time since 1993-94
-Nebraska clinches sole possession of fourth place in the Big Ten standings, its best conference finish since 1997-98. Nebraska closed the regular season with eight wins in the last nine games and went 10-2 after a 1-5 start to Big Ten play.
-Nebraska finishes with an 11-7 Big Ten record, matching the third-most conference wins by a Husker team in school history. It is the most since the 1965-66 team won 12 games in the Big Eight
-Nebraska improves to 15-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, its best home mark since going 17-1 in 1982-83
-Nebraska snaps a five-game losing streak to Wisconsin dating back to 1992
-Shavon Shields finished with 26 points, his fourth 20-point game of the season.
-Terran Petteway had 26 points, his 11th 20-point game of the season. He also finished with 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.  -Nebraska basketball was all over Twitter Sunday night. Here were some of the best tweets I could find:

-Also, here are some pictures I took throughout the afternoon and night. Crazy atmosphere around Pinnacle Bank.

People crowd at the doors of Pinnacle Bank Arena
before the game. 

Students wait for doors to open. 

Some students said they had been waiting for more
than 12 hours before the opening tip.

The Railyard balcony two hours before the game. 

Ground view of the Railyard in the Haymarket
two hours before doors even open. 

Scene on the floor of Pinnacle Bank Arena after the game. 

Thanks for reading and shoot me your reactions or thoughts on Nebraska's win and/or its NCAA Tournament chances. Check out my story in tomorrow's Daily Nebraskan too.

Reach me at:award6344@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @_andrewward