Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) shoots past Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on Jan. 5, 2026. Ohio State lost 72-69.

Nebraska Beats Ohio State 72-69

Kevin Sweeney

Nebraska stayed undefeated this season, improving to 15-0 overall, 4-0 in the conference, by beating Ohio State 72-69. Nebraska exploited an emerging Ohio State(10-4) problem. This game against Nebraska was the third defeat of the season by three points or less.

Some say Ohio State could be 13-1, but it is fair to wonder whether Ohio State Head Coach John Diebler can win a close game. Worse, this was a home loss to Nebraska. Ohio State was unable to defend its home court against one of the top teams in the Big Ten. Do you think Ohio State is just a couple of possessions away from being 13-1?

Nebraska Defeats Ohio State 72-69 Summary

Sophomore Guard John Mobley Jr. from Reynoldsburg scored 22 points to help Ohio State rally from a 14-point deficit, but the Buckeyes came up just short in a 72–69 loss to No. 10 Nebraska on Monday night.

The first half, needless to say, was not good for Ohio State. The Buckeyes trailed 27–13 midway through the first half and 38–31 at halftime. Ohio State, which fell to 10-4 overall and just 2-2 in the Big Ten Conference, took its first lead of the night with about 10 minutes to play. It was a game-long battle for Ohio State. The second half explosion for the Buckeyes before Nebraska responded with a 10–3 run. The Buckeyes had a look to tie the game in the final seconds, but Christoph Tilly’s contested three-pointer rimmed out as time ran down.

For Ohio State, the leader was Mobley, Jr. He hit five three-pointers, including a late step-back that cut the deficit to three among his 22 points. Freshman Forward Amare Bynum, who is from Nebraska, finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds, which was a game high. Devin Royal had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Senior Guard Bruce Thornton had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Nebraska was led by Braden Frager, who had 15 points. He converted a three-point play in the final minute that killed Ohio State’s chances to win the game. Rienk Mast had 12 points and controlled Tilly. Jamarques Lawrence contributed 11 points, and Berke Buyuktuncel posted 8 points and 7 rebounds. Nebraska got 22 bench points.

News and Notes

  • This game marked Ohio State’s partnership with Hoops4ALS, an initiative supporting ALS awareness and research.
  • This game featured eight lead changes.
  • Nebraska plays at Indiana on Saturday.
  • Ohio State did not have any bench points and got only 22 minutes of bench play in this game.
  • Brandon Noel, an Ohio State bench player, was injured in this game. That injury was the major limiter of his minutes.
  • Ohio State had 29 rebounds, and the Cornhuskers had 38.
  • The Cornhuskers had 12 assists in this game, and Ohio State had 13.

Parting Thoughts

It was unfortunate that Ohio State could not win this game at home against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are undefeated and one of the top teams in the Big Ten Conference. The narrow 72-69 loss means that, even at home, Ohio State is not as good as the top teams in the conference. Ohio State next travels to take on Oregon at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Kevin Sweeney is a published author. He has written 5 books to date: Trapped (an autobiography), Back to School (a guide to stroke recovery), One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State (Presidential elections), Coaching Baseball (all about baseball), and an associated workbook. Kevin has a Ph.D. in political science; he has published 12 scholarly articles. He lives in Purcellville, VA, with his 3 sons and wife, Kelly. They were married in 2000.

You can get his books here:
https://amazon.com/author/drkevinjsweeney

More Great Content