MINNEAPOLIS — Indiana was starting to settle in again at No. 1 after weeks of shuffling at the top of the national rankings in this unpredictable season of college basketball.

Trevor Mbakwe and Minnesota stepped forward, flexed their muscles and did their best to push the Hoosiers out.

Mbakwe had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Gophers take down top-ranked Indiana 77-73 on Tuesday night, the seventh time the No. 1 team in The Associated Press’ poll has lost a game this season.

“We’re trying to do big things so we have to learn from this mistake, but we have to dust it off real fast,” Hoosiers star Victor Oladipo said.

Andre Hollins added 16 points for the Gophers (19-9, 7-8 Big Ten), who out rebounded Cody Zeller and the Hoosiers by 44-30. The fans swarmed the court as the last second ticked off, the first time that’s happened here in years.

“We weren’t physical enough on the glass. That’s the bottom line,” Indiana Coach Tom Crean said.

Zeller was held to nine points with four turnovers for the Hoosiers (24-4, 12-3), who have held the No. 1 ranking IN 10 of 17 polls this season including the Past four. Oladipo scored 16 points, but 14 of the 17 points by Jordan Hulls came before halftime.

“Cody’s certainly capable of a lot,” Crean said, “and I think he’ll bounce back just fine.”

Mbakwe, a sixth-year senior, dominated both ends of the court when the Gophers needed it. Minnesota had 23 offensive rebounds.

“We did need to play with a sense of urgency, play with a little edge,” Gophers CoachTubby Smith said. “I think Trevor set that tone for us.”

Elliott Eliason scored seven consecutive points for Minnesota to tie the game at 46-46 shortly after Oladipo’s reverse layup had given the Hoosiers a 44-36 lead, their biggest of the game.

Hollins, who missed eight of his first nine shots, scraped off a high screen by Eliason to pull up for a three-pointer and give the Gophers a 51-48 lead. Mbakwe got a rebound to keep a key possession alive then grabbed another rebound to set up his off-balance bank shot to make it 56-53 in favor of Minnesota.

“I didn’t feel I was playing up to my potential lately. I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” Mbakwe said.

Mbakwe was called for a loudly questioned blocking foul, his fourth, with 4:39 remaining on Zeller’s fast-break layup and free throw that put the Hoosiers up 59-58. ButAustin Hollins answered with a pump-fake layup that drew a foul for a three-point play and a two-point advantage for the Gophers.

The Hoosiers didn’t lead again, and Joe Coleman’s fastbreak dunk with 2:35 left gave Minnesota a 68-61 cushion, enough to withstand a couple three-pointers by Christian Watford and one by Hulls in the closing minutes.

The Hoosiers are still in position for their first outright Big Ten regular-season championship since 1993, with a one-game edge in the loss column over Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin. With home games against Iowa and Ohio State, Indiana could still clinch the title before the finale at Michigan on March 10.

For now, though, the Hoosiers have to regroup and reestablish their inside game.

“They were relentless on the glass. We just didn’t do agreat job of boxing them out,” Oladipo said.

NO. 17 WISCONSIN 77, NEBRASKA 46

MADISON, Wis. - Reserve Sam Dekker matched his career high with 19 points to lead Wisconsin.

Ryan Evans added 14 points and Ben Brust had 13 for the Badgers (20-8, 11-4 Big Ten).

Wisconsin’s victory, coupled with No. 1 Indiana’s loss to Minnesota, put the Badgers one game back in the Big Ten race with three games to play for both teams.

Dylan Talley had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Cornhuskers (13-15, 4-11), while Brandon Ubel added 10 points.

The Cornhuskers shot 33 percent and had just six assists to 10 turnovers.

Jared Berggren finished with four blocks to make him Wisconsin’s all-time leader at 126. He came into the game trailing Rashard Griffith (124) by two.

XAVIER 64, NO. 19 MEMPHIS 62

CINCINNATI - Brad Redford hit a long three-pointer that put Xavier back ahead after wasting a 13-point lead and the Musketeers ended No. 19 Memphis’ 18-game winning streak.

The Tigers (24-4), who were outrebounded 45-36, scored only 20 points in the first half. Their winning streak was tied with Akron for longest in the nation.

Memphis was the only Division I school that hadn’t lost a road game this season. The Tigers had won 11 consecutive on the road overall, the nation’s longest active streak.

Travis Taylor had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Xavier (16-11), which was missing point guard Dee Davis, who was recovering from a head injury.

Geron Johnson led Memphis with 14 points, including 3 three-pointers that helped the Tigers overcome the 13-point deficit in the second half.

SEC MEN ALABAMA 61, AUBURN 43

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Trevor Releford had 21 points and Alabama used a strong second half to win a rematch with rival Auburn.

The Crimson Tide (19-9, 11-4 SEC) held the Tigers (9-19, 3-12) to 30 percent shooting - 15 of 50 - and a season-low in points.

Alabama scored 38 points in the second half, 24 more than the team managed in the first meeting - a 49-37 loss 20 days earlier that remains Auburn’s lone victory during a 1-12 stretch.

Trevor Lacey added 12 points for the Tide while Nick Jacobs had 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Sports, Pages 24 on 02/27/2013