Lincoln, Neb. ? Doc Sadler learned from the mistake he made two weeks ago against Kansas State and came away with what he called the signature win of his two seasons at Nebraska.

Sadler got creative in defending Michael Beasley, using a combination of box-and-one and 2-3 zone to make the national player of the year candidate a non-factor much of the game in the Cornhuskers’ 71-64 victory over the 24th-ranked Wildcats on Wednesday night.

“We’re trying to build something, and this was just the first step,” Sadler said. “This is probably the biggest win since I’ve been here.”

The Huskers played Beasley straight-up in a 74-59 loss on Feb. 6, and he scored 10 points in the first 81 seconds and finished with 35.

In the rematch, Beasley didn’t touch the ball on K-State’s first 10 possessions and was held scoreless the first nine minutes. He ended up with 17 points and 10 rebounds for a hard-earned double-double that tied Carmelo Anthony’s all-time NCAA freshman record of 22.

“I’m a quick learner,” Sadler said. “I didn’t wait for them to score 10 straight. You have to pick your poison. You can’t shut down Michael Beasley. I don’t know what their offensive game plan was, but we made plays on the defensive end.”

And Kansas State didn’t.

Steve Harley scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Huskers, with most of his production coming on baseline drives.

The Huskers shot 52 percent, their season-high against Big 12 opponents.

“It was the most embarrassing defensive performance of any team I’ve coached in 23 years, and I’ve coached 13-year-olds,” Wildcats coach Frank Martin said.

The Huskers (15-9, 4-7 Big 12) held K-State scoreless on its last eight possessions. After Beasley missed a three-pointer in the final second, the student section rushed the court to celebrate Nebraska’s second victory over a Top 25 opponent this season. The other one was against Oregon in December.

Kansas State (18-7, 8-3), which would have moved into a three-way tie for the Big 12 lead with a win, pulled to 65-64 on Blake Young’s three-pointer with 4:46 left. The Wildcats wouldn’t score again and now have lost three straight on the road.

Texas Tech 87, Colorado 69

Boulder, Colo. – Alan Voskuil and John Roberson both scored 20 points, and Texas Tech picked up its first Big 12 road victory of the season.

The Red Raiders (14-11, 5-6 Big 12) improved to 2-3 since Pat Knight inherited the program from his father, Bobby Knight, after the Hall of Fame coach stepped down earlier this month.