Big Ten scoreboard for Dec. 22
No. 20 Michigan State 67, Texas 56: The Spartans (11-2) rallied from a five-point halftime deficit as F Derrick Nix finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The Longhorns (7-5) faded late as they shot 36.5 percent from the floor and missed 10 free-throws. Texas was the last nonconference team to win at the Breslin Center exactly two years ago.
Iowa 80, Coppin State 50: The Hawkeyes (11-2) won their sixth-straight for the first time in eight years as they built a 26-point halftime lead and cruised to victory. Coppin State (3-10) made just 29.2 percent of its field goals. Iowa F Aaron White finished with 20 points and threw down six dunks in the win.
No. 9 Kansas 74, No. 7 Ohio State 66: The visiting Jayhawks (10-1) used a smothering defensive effort to upset the Buckeyes (9-2). Ohio State shot a mere 30.9 percent from the field and the team was 8 of 31 from 3-point range and routinely missed open jumpers. Kansas was sparked by redshirt freshman Ben McLemore, who had a game-high 22 points.
No. 12 Missouri 82, No. 10 Illinois 73: The Fighting Illini (12-1) suffered their first loss of the season as they dropped a fourth straight to their biggest rival in the Braggin’ Rights game. Illinois G Brandon Paul finished with a game-high tying 23 points, but made just 5 of 18 field goals, while teammate G D.J. Richardson had seven points on 3-of-13 shooting. Missouri (10-1) had a 48-30 edge in rebounds.
No. 13 Minnesota 75, Lafayette 50: The Gophers (12-1) led by 15 points at halftime and were able to get minutes for 13 players in the blowout. Lafayette (5-9) had 18 turnovers as it dropped its seventh away game. Minnesota was led by G Joe Coleman, who had a team-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Nebraska 89, Central Michigan 75: The Cornhuskers (8-3) won their opening game of the Sun Bowl Invitational in El Paso, Texas. Nebraska G Dylan Talley led four teammates in double-figures as he notched 21 points and seven rebounds. The Chippewas got a game-high 27 points from G Kyle Randall, who made all 15 of his free-throw attempts.
Wisconsin 74, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 53: Ryan Evans had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists as the Badgers (8-4) broke out to a 41-18 halftime lead in a rout of the Panthers (3-8). Traevon Jackson added 13 points for host Wisconsin, which outrebounded UWM 34-20.
(Video courtesy ESPN)
Star of the night: Nix: The 6-foot-9, 270-pounder is emerging as the heart of the Spartans after another dominating performance. Nix, who has dropped 70 pounds during his time in East Lansing, made a stunning 11 of 13 free-throw attempts against the Longhorns en route to his first 20-point effort of the season. Not bad for a guy shooting just 51 percent from the charity stripe for his career.
Inside the box score -- 3 numbers worth a second look
3 -- Times a Big Ten team has gone at least 0 of 17 on 3-pointers since 1997 after Iowa went 0-17 from beyond-the-arc on Saturday.
1 -- Losses for Illinois coach John Groce after falling to Missouri. The first-year coach had tied Fletcher Lane (1907-08) for the best start in school history with 12 consecutive wins.
89 -- Points for Nebraska against Central Michigan. It’s the most points in a game for the Cornhuskers since a 90-77 win over Texas Christian in 2009.
Quote of the day: "Let's call a play where we score." -- Ohio State coach Thad Matta on what he said to his assistants as the Buckeyes missed 16 3-pointers in the second half against Kansas.
Next games: Dec. 23
New Hampshire at Penn State, 11 a.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
Brown at Northwestern, 1:30 p.m. ET
Nebraska vs. UTEP/Arkansas-Pine Bluff winner at Sun Bowl Invitational, 9 p.m. ET
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Big Ten bloggers Dave Carey and Mike Singer, follow @CBSSportsBigTen.
