• Video: Highlights from Iowa State's 56-53 win over Nebraska:

LINCOLN — Nobody suffers a season-killing loss eight days into a conference basketball season.

But Nebraska, after Saturday night's 56-53 home setback to Iowa State, is flirting with danger.

The Huskers (12-6) dropped to 0-3 in Big 12 games for just the third time since the league was formed. They also are 0-2 at the Devaney Center already, with this loss coming to an Iowa State team that had dropped 16 consecutive league road games.

A realistic look at the upcoming schedule shows Nebraska might not be favored to win again for a month.

What's even scarier?

When NU coach Doc Sadler and senior captain Ryan Anderson were probed for answers after the game, both had the same reply:

“I don't know.''

Said Anderson: “You guys can ask me what it's going to take to win. And, uh, ...'' then his voice trailed off to silence.

Better coaching might help. That's according to Sadler.

“I've done as bad a job of coaching as you can do,'' he said, “because we continue to make the same mistakes.

“If we're going to continue to shoot 26 percent on 3s, then we better not shoot them. You ain't going to win in this league doing that.''

Sadler will look in the mirror to see who messed up Nebraska's clock management at the end.

The Huskers had closed to 55-53 on Jorge Brian Diaz's layup with 1:39 left. On Iowa State's next possession, Anderson's fifth steal of the night got NU the ball.

Senior guard Sek Henry, who was 2 of 7 on free throws, tried to drive the lane. But ISU point guard Diante Garrett stripped him and Marquis Gilstrap, who led the Cyclones with 15 points and 12 rebounds, grabbed it with 42 seconds left.

Instead of fouling, NU let Iowa State handle the ball until a timeout with 15 seconds on the game clock and eight seconds on the shot clock.

Nebraska fouled one second after the ball was put back in play. But that was only the sixth team foul, so ISU got the ball back and a reset shot clock.

Nebraska fouled Iowa State's Lucca Staiger with nine seconds left, and he made the first shot of a 1-and-1 for a 56-53 lead.

“The mistake that I made in that basketball game,'' Sadler said, “was bigger than any mistake our players have made in four years. I'm very, very upset about it.

“I didn't know there were five team fouls. That's the mistake I made.''

Still, Nebraska forced a jump ball on Staiger's miss, got the ball back with five seconds left, but needed to go three-fourths of the court.

NU got the ball to the 3-point line, but Lance Jeter's fadeaway from 25 feet drew nothing as the game ended.

“I'm really proud of our team,'' said ISU coach Greg McDermott, who is 5-2 vs. Sadler. “We beat Nebraska at their own game, and that's not easy.

“We haven't played a lot of grind-it-out, possession games this season, and the two we played in we lost (Northwestern, Northern Iowa). To come on the road, be down five in the second half and find a way to come back and get the victory is very gratifying.''

Nebraska shot 26.3 percent on 3s (5 of 19) and 25 percent on free throws (2 of 8). Its two inside offensive threats — Diaz and Christian Standhardinger — were a combined 4 of 20 from the field.

Yet the Huskers still appeared to have a win in reach when guard Brandon Richardson, playing with a severely bruised thigh, hit a flying-through-the-air runner for a 46-41 lead with 10:34 to play.

But NU scored only two baskets the rest of the way. One was a 3 by Anderson, who led NU with 13 points and eight rebounds.

“We've got to be mentally tough and make plays at the end of games,'' he said. “We needed to be tougher.''

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

• Video: Doc Sadler speaks at the postgame press conference: