Illinois 72, Nebraska 66

What happened

CHAMPAIGN -- Illinois won't go dancing in March, but there will be some dance moves in the locker room on Sunday after a 72-66 win against Nebraska in front of a sellout crowd.

Illini forward Leron Black led the way with a career-high 28 points, while going 11-of-18 from the field and 3-for-3 from deep. He also tied a team-high with seven boards.

The loss snaps a four-game losing streak for the Illini and notches the first win in the month of February for Brad Underwood's squad. It also snaps a six-game winning streak for the Huskers, and could crush their tournament hopes with a major blemish.

The Illini came out of the gates hot with some of their best offense of the year. An early 11-0 run put Illinois up 11-3 after a Black three. The Illini got 17 points from Black in the first half, and also 12 points, four rebounds and two assists from Kipper Nichols.

Illinois shot 62.1 percent in the first half -- going 7-of-9 from three -- on the way to a 43-36 lead at the break. But in typical fashion, the Illini were sluggish against Nebraska's zone after halftime. The Huskers went on a 16-to-4 run to take a 52-47 lead in the first six minutes of the half.

The Illini also went on a scoring drought that lasted five minutes and 27 seconds. But Black ended that with an and-one, and Illini freshman Mark Smith followed with a three to regain the lead and hype up the building.

Smith added an and-one drive later in the half to make it 61-61 with 5:37 to go. He had eight points, two assists and a big rebound late. Smith nailed down the final free throws of the night, and his eight points are the most he's scored since Jan. 6 at Michigan.

On the other end, the Illini defense really locked in down the stretch. Nebraska made just four field goals in the final 14 minutes. The Huskers shot 37 percent in the second half, and the Illini got away with a win despite shooting 27.3 percent in the second half on their own.

Isaac Copeland led the Huskers with 17 points. Illinois native Isaiah Roby added 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. The Illini held James Palmer Jr. to just 5-of-14 from the field and 13 points. He was averaging more than 23 points per game in the previous nine contests.

Illinois also got six points and seven rebounds from Aaron Jordan. And Te'Jon Lucas continued his impactful play with six assists and four rebounds.

PLAYER GRADES: Obvious 5-star performance from #illini's consistent star, but some huge supporting performances (finally!) earn high grades toohttps://t.co/IT0GDubMa3 — Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) February 19, 2018

What it means

Beginning a four-game stretch in eight days to close out the schedule, this was a feel-good win in a season that has only provided a handful of those moments. Black performed at an All-Big Ten level on Sunday afternoon. Nichols has given the Illini three straight games in double-digits. He was active and engaged. And it was huge to get those late-game minutes from Smith, who has been in need of some confidence to vault out of his slump. The Illini also got to bring in some recruits like JUCO forward Austin Trice to see a win and a sold-out environment at the State Farm Center. Those are all positives for a program that isn't in offseason mode just yet. But that window remains as the key for this program to get back to being a contending team in the Big Ten next season.

What's next

Illinois will hit the road to East Lansing to square off against No. 2 Michigan State (26-3, 14-2) on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT. The Spartans are coming off the biggest comeback in Big Ten history on Saturday after trailing by 27 points at Northwestern. The 65-60 win marks the 10th straight win for Michigan State, and the Spartans are two wins away from claiming the Big Ten championship outright. Illinois lost 87-74 against Michigan State last month, and the last time the Illini won in East Lansing was Feb. 2, 2015. Illinois is 3-18 against top-25 teams since the start of the 2014-15 season, and the program hasn't secured a win on the road against a ranked team since March 1, 2014 in East Lansing.