LINCOLN, Neb. -- A career night and a busted slump each came just when Kansas needed them most.

Svi Mykhailiuk's 3-pointer with 23 seconds to go lifted No. 13 Kansas to a 73-72 win at Nebraska on Saturday, avoiding what would have been the Jayhawks' third three-game losing streak in coach Bill Self's 15 seasons.

Mykhailiuk, who scored 10 of his 14 points in the final 10 minutes, shot 5-for-19 from behind the arc in Kansas' previous two games -- home losses to Washington and Arizona State -- and was 1-for-6 Saturday before knocking down the winner.

Fellow senior Devonte' Graham, who fired the pass to Mykhailiuk, was confident the shot was going in.

"Cash," Graham thought mid-shot. "He hadn't hit one all day, but I could tell. I've been around him a long time and I've seen him shoot a lot of shots, I could see it was going in."

Nebraska coach Tim Miles, who spoke in softer-than-normal tones afterward, said he didn't regret anything about his team's last defensive play.

"They'd run that (screen-and-fade) in other games, but they hadn't run it tonight," Miles said. "The only thing you could do was down the ball screen, which we hadn't done all night. It puts (forward Isaac) Copeland on an island because you've got (center Udoka) Azubuike rolling at you and you know that lob could be there, and they had Svi out in the corner."

Azubuike produced a career-best 26 points, plus 10 rebounds, but his biggest play might have been his only blocked shot. Nebraska (7-5) did not call a timeout after Mykhailiuk's trey, and instead got two shots in a frenzied final seconds. James Palmer missed a 3-pointer, got his own rebound, then Azubuike knocked the shot into the corner, tracked it down, and fired the ball into the frontcourt as time expired.

"I got the rebound and I tried to go back up, but I was off-balance," said Palmer, who thought he was bumped on the play. "I don't expect them to call that, that late in the game."

It was a fitting ending for a game that was statistically too close to call: Each team made 29 baskets; each team had 33 rebounds. Kansas made eight free throws to Nebraska's six, while the Cornhuskers made 8 of 22 3-point attempts and Kansas made 7 of 22.

The scoreboard was also tight throughout. Nebraska's Thomas Allen made a 3-pointer with 12:06 to go to tie the game, 51-51.

Two minutes later, Glynn Watson Jr. made a 3-pointer to put Nebraska ahead 54-53, the Huskers' first lead since the opening minutes. Nebraska, though, would score five points in the next five minutes as Kansas, using two baskets from Mykhailiuk, built a seven-point lead.

The Cornhuskers then switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense, stagnating Kansas' offensive flow.

"It gets the other team standing around," Palmer said.

Nebraska, meanwhile, scored nine straight points, capped by Palmer's 3-pointer with 2:25 to go.

Palmer's driving basket with 41 seconds left restored Nebraska's lead to 72-70. He finished with 14 points.

Azubuike, a sophomore, was 13-for-17 from the floor and posted the third double-double of his career.

"Right before the game, Coach told me, 'We need you,'" Azubuike said. "He told me pretty much nobody could stop me."

Being more assertive was "a big topic for this week," Azubuike said. Self didn't elaborate on the specifics of his message, but did admit, "I don't think he's going to send me a gift this year."

Graham finished with 18 points and eight assists. He picked up his third foul with 15:13 remaining but did not come out of the game. That was part of a lack of depth facing Kansas.

"We don't have a second point guard," Self said. "He's going to have to play 35 to 37 (minutes) a game."

Nebraska outscored Kansas 27-6 off the bench and received double-digit scoring from four players. The Cornhuskers knocked off then-No. 14 Minnesota Dec. 5, but they couldn't finish off a second breakthrough win of the season.

Miles' main directive next week: "Don't let this game beat us twice."

NOTES: Kansas has won 19 straight and 28 of 29 in the rivalry which was briefly paused when Nebraska left the Big 12 for the Big Ten. Kansas leads the series, which began in 1900, 172-71. ... About half the crowd at Pinnacle Bank Arena stayed after the basketball game to watch Nebraska's women's volleyball team take on Florida in the national championship match. Just before the announcement of starting lineups, new Nebraska football coach Scott Frost entered the court through a mist-filled tunnel, sparking a loud reaction from the home crowd.