Nebraska went to Michigan State and knocked off the No. 9-ranked Spartans 60-51 and No. 21 Wisconsin took down No. 15 Michigan 75-62 in Ann Arbor on Sunday afternoon to make the Big Ten race that much more unsettled.
Both Michigan and Michigan State are 10-3 and at the top of the conference; Wisconsin is fourth at 8-5, a half-game behind Iowa and Nebraska is 6-6, good for sixth place a half-game ahead of Minnesota.
Terran Petteway scored 23 points and Walter Pitchford added 18 to lead Nebraska.
Gary Harris had 18 points and Adreian Payne 11 for the Spartans, who remain in a first-place tie with Michigan after both teams lost. Harris was 5 for 15 from the field. Michigan State shot 34 percent from the field and 20.8 percent on 3-pointers.
The Cornhuskers led 32-25 at the half and held off a second-half surge with a 9-2 closing run. The Spartans got a lift when point guard Keith Appling returned from a three-game absence with a sore right wrist. He played 19 minutes, but had just two points and one assist after not practicing for two weeks.
Nebraska outhustled the Spartans for most of the game and won despite a poor shooting day. The Cornhuskers shot 35.8 percent from the field, 30 percent from 3-point range and 61.9 percent at the foul line.
At Ann Arbor, Wisconsin was on the verge of wasting a tremendous first half, so with Michigan rallying and the crowd roaring, the Badgers calmly went inside to Frank Kaminsky.
"I wanted the ball in my hands," the 7-footer said. "I was able to make some things happen."
