LINCOLN, NEB. – Two seasons ago, the Gophers were being obliterated by nearly 40 points in the second half at Nebraska. Just to keep from running up the score, Cornhuskers coach Tim Miles played mostly his reserves for the last five minutes of the game in a 25-point victory.
Richard Pitino's team has come a long way since then.
But the Gophers were humbled again Tuesday night in a fifth consecutive loss at Nebraska, 78-68 in front of an announced 15,598 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
For a team with Big Ten title aspirations, the No. 14 Gophers squandered an opportunity to get that always-difficult conference road victory. They lacked energy early and struggled to execute on both ends of the floor.
Nebraska gained a significant advantage once it limited Minnesota's frontcourt tandem of Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy, who scored only 19 points on 7-for-18 shooting together and committed eight turnovers combined.
"They did a really good job on our bigs," Gophers coach Richard Pitino said. "They game-planned well there, and we didn't handle it great. So again, the offense we can get better, but we can control that defense. That's a problem."
Nate Mason and Amir Coffey led the Gophers (8-2, 1-1 Big Ten) with 20 and 17 points, respectively.
The Cornhuskers (7-3, 1-1), who shot 57 percent in the second half, were led by Glynn Watson Jr., who scored 20 of his season-high 29 points in the second half.