Huskers look to Punch Ticket to Sweet 16
The Nebraska males’s basketball program appears to be like to attain the NCAA Sweet 16 for the primary time at school historical past on Saturday when the fourth-seeded Huskers (27-6) tackle fifth-seeded Vanderbilt (27-8). Tipoff is about for 7:45 p.m. (CT) and the sport shall be broadcast on TNT and carried on the Huskers Radio Network. It can also be out there on NCAA March Madness Live and on HBO Max.
Nebraska comes off a formidable 76-47 win over Troy within the NCAA First Round on Thursday. Pryce Sandfort had 17 of his sport-excessive 23 factors within the first half to lead 4 Huskers in double figures. The junior wing tied a college postseason document with seven 3-pointers, as Nebraska hit 14 3-pointers within the win. Jamarques Lawrence and Braden Frager had 13 factors apiece, whereas (*16*) added 11 factors, seven assists and 6 rebounds, because the Huskers used a 20-4 first-half run to break the competition open.
The Husker protection restricted Troy to its second-lowest off whole of the season, holding the Trojans to simply 28.3 % capturing and turned 17 turnovers into 17 Husker factors. The 47 factors allowed and 28.3 % capturing had been each season bests for the Huskers protection, which has now held 13 opponents this season to 60 factors or much less. The win was not solely Nebraska’s first-ever NCAA win, however the twenty seventh win of the season, breaking the only-season win mark which had stood because the 1990-91 season.
The Huskers now flip their consideration to a excessive-powered Vanderbilt workforce which posted a 78-68 win over No. 12 seed McNeese Thursday afternoon. Tyler Tanner had 26 factors, seven rebounds and 5 assists, because the Commodores shot 51 % from the sphere and positioned 4 gamers in double figures. Vanderbilt comes into Saturday’s matchup averaging 86.1 factors per sport to rank within the high 20 nationally in scoring offense.
With a win, the Huskers would advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 which begins subsequent Thursday on the Toyota Center in Houston.
Numbers to Know
29 – Nebraska’s 29-level margin of victory vs. Troy was the most important margin of victory in a primary NCAA Tournament win by any college since 1971.
0.77 – Nebraska held Troy to 0.77 factors per possessions, its finest efficiency since Feb. 14.
120 – Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort is tied for fifth nationally with 120 3-pointers after his efficiency in opposition to Troy on Tuesday. That whole ranks second on the Big Ten’s single-season charts. His seven 3-tips about Thursday marked the third time he has had at the least seven 3-pointers in a sport this season. Sandfort tied NU’s single-sport document with eight 3-pointers vs. Penn State on Feb. 21.
66.2 – Nebraska led the Big Ten in scoring protection in convention play at 66.2 ppg, the bottom whole by a Big Ten workforce because the 2022-23 season. It marks the primary time NU has led the convention in scoring protection in Big Ten play. Last 12 months, NU was fifteenth at 75.8 ppg in Big Ten play.
9 – The Big Ten Conference despatched 9 groups to the NCAA Tournament, which ties probably the most that the convention has despatched to the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten additionally despatched 9 groups in each 2021 and 2022.
351 – Nebraska’s 351 3-pointers this season is a college document, breaking the varsity document of 319 set in 2023-24. NU has hit 10-or-extra 3-pointers in 22 video games this season, together with 4 video games of at the least 15 3-pointers.
52.9 – Nebraska’s high 4 scorers ((*16*), Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence) are combining for 52.9 factors per sport. None of them had been within the Husker lineup final season.
80+ – Nebraska is 52-10 (.839) beneath Fred Hoiberg when scoring 80 or extra factors, together with a 43-7 mark during the last 4 seasons. Of these seven losses because the begin of the 2022-23 season, 4 got here in additional time. NU is 15-0 this season when scoring 80+ factors.
1,083 – (*16*) now has 1,083 profession rebounds and is one of solely 5 energetic gamers with at the least 1,000 profession rebounds, becoming a member of Carson Towt (Notre Dame), Graham Ike (Gonzaga), Izaiyah Nelson (South Florida) and Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan).
14- Pryce Sandfort has 14 20-level video games on the season, which ties for the third-most by a Husker within the Big Ten period. The solely Huskers with extra 20-level video games in a season within the Big Ten period are Brice Williams (20, 2024-25) and James Palmer (18, 2018-19).
5 – Braden Frager turned the fifth Husker since 1996-97 to earn a number of convention rookie/freshman of the week, becoming a member of Bryce McGowens (2021-22), Shavon Shields (2012-13), Toney McCray (2008-09) and Joe McCray (2004-05).
1- According to Stathead, Sam Hoiberg is the one participant nationally at 6-0 or beneath averaging at the least 5 rebounds per sport this season. Over the previous six seasons, solely two energy convention gamers 6-0 or beneath have grabbed 5 or extra rebounds per sport (Braden Smith, 2023-24; RJ Davis, 2022-23).
3.34 – The Huskers’ workforce cumulative GPA of 3.34 on the finish of the autumn 2025 semester is the very best in program historical past. Ten Huskers posted GPAs of 3.0 or higher through the fall semester, led by Sam Hoiberg‘s 4.0 GPA.
Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament History
The 2026 NCAA Tournament marks Nebraska’s ninth NCAA Tournament look and twenty ninth postseason look at school historical past (9 NCAAs, 19 NITs, 1 CBC). NU makes its second look in three years after making only one NCAA journey from 1999 to 2023. The Huskers made their first look in 1986 and made 4 straight appearances within the early Nineteen Nineties, led by Rich King and Eric Piatkowski. Nebraska returned to the NCAAs in 1998 behind NBA first-spherical choose Tyronn Lue and made appearances in 2014 and 2024.
• Fred Hoiberg is simply the second coach to take his workforce to a number of NCAA Tournaments, becoming a member of Danny Nee (1991-92-93-94-98). It would be the sixth NCAA look of his profession, as he guided Iowa State to 4 straight NCAAs between 2012 and 2015. In addition, Hoiberg’s grandfather, Jerry Bush, guided Toledo to an look within the 1954 NCAA Tournament.
• Four of the 11 Huskers who noticed motion within the 2024 NCAA Tournament are again, together with (*16*), Jamarques Lawrence, Sam Hoiberg, and Cale Jacobsen.
• When Nebraska made its NCAA Tournament look in 2024, just one participant on the roster had been to an NCAA Tournament.
Hoiberg Contract Extended to 2031-32
Nebraska has agreed to a contract extension with males’s basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg, as introduced by University of Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen on March 9. The new contract with Hoiberg extends by way of the 2031-32 season. The Huskers, who’ve received 20+ video games for 3 straight seasons for the primary time at school historical past, enter the Big Ten Tournament with a 26-5 document and ranked eleventh within the AP ballot. NU’s 26 wins ties the varsity document for wins in a season whereas the 15 convention wins broke the earlier college mark of 13 set in 2017-18.
Huskers Honored by Big Ten for Record-Breaking Season
A season of firsts continued for the Nebraska males’s basketball program on March 10, because the Big Ten Conference introduced its annual awards. Pryce Sandfort, Braden Frager, Sam Hoiberg and (*16*) all earned convention accolades whereas Head Coach Fred Hoiberg was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Sandfort earned first-workforce All-Big Ten honors by the coaches and second-workforce laurels from the media, giving the Huskers a primary-workforce choice for the second straight 12 months. Both the coaches and media choose 5-member first, second and third groups. In Big Ten play, Sandfort led the Huskers in scoring common at 19.4 factors and added 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per sport. The junior from Waukee, Iowa, hit 79 3-pointers in Big Ten play to rank second in convention historical past and completed Big Ten motion among the many league leaders in league play in 3-pointers per sport (3.95, first), 3-level share (.418, fifth), scoring common (eighth) and discipline purpose share (.483, ninth).
Frager took house a pair of honors, as he was named Sixth Man of the Year and was a member of the 5-man All-Freshman workforce. He turned the primary Husker males’s participant to earn a person Big Ten Award since NU joined the Big Ten in 2011-12 and the second Husker to be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman workforce. Frager averaged 11.3 factors, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per sport in Big Ten motion, rating third on the workforce in scoring, second in 3-pointers and fifth in rebounds. Among gamers who certified for convention honors, Frager was the one Big Ten reserve who averaged double figures in convention motion and posted 9 double-determine efforts.
Sam Hoiberg earned a pair of awards, as he was named honorable-point out All-Big Ten by each the coaches and media and was one of 5 gamers named to the all-defensive workforce. Hoiberg turns into the primary Husker named to the Big Ten all-defensive workforce. In convention play, he anchored a Husker protection that led the convention in scoring protection, steals and three-level share. Hoiberg averaged 10.5 factors, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and a pair of.2 steals per outing, main the Big Ten in steals, and ranked within the high 10 in each assist-to-turnover ratio (4.09-to-1, second) and assists (eighth).
Mast earned All-Big Ten honors for the second time in his profession, as he collected honorable-point out All-Big Ten honors from each the coaches and media. Mast averaged 12.1 factors, 5.6 rebounds and a pair of.7 assists per sport in Big Ten motion, pacing the Huskers in rebounding and rating within the high three on the workforce in scoring (second) and assists (third). Mast reached double figures 12 instances, together with 26 factors in a street win at Rutgers and 19 factors, together with six 3-pointers, within the win over Michigan State. Mast additionally had 17-level efforts in wins over Illinois and Wisconsin, the latter the place he additionally collected 10 boards.
Fred Hoiberg was chosen because the Big Ten Coach of the Year by his fellow convention coaches after guiding the Huskers to one of this system’s most profitable seasons at school historical past. The Huskers completed the common season with a 26-5 document and tied for second within the Big Ten with a 15-5 mark. NU set or tied college document for whole wins, convention wins (15) and convention street wins (seven) on its approach to this system’s finest-ever Big Ten end.
Notes from Thursday’s Win over Troy
• Nebraska picked up its first NCAA Tournament victory at school historical past. The Huskers had been winless of their earlier eight NCAA Tournament video games.
• Nebraska improved to 27-6 on the season setting a college document for single-season victories. Nebraska’s earlier document of 26 wins was held by the 1990-91 workforce.
• Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg picked up his fifth victory within the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, after beforehand successful 4 match video games at Iowa State.
• Nebraska has now received its final 5 postseason video games in nationwide tournaments courting again to successful 4 straight video games on the 2025 College Basketball Crown.
• Nebraska has received 11 of its final 12 impartial-web site video games courting again to the 2024 Diamond Head Classic.
• Junior Pryce Sandfort scored a workforce-excessive 23 factors for his twenty ninth double-determine scoring sport of the season and his 14th 20-level sport. Sandfort linked on seven 3-pointers within the contest, together with 5 within the first half. It marked his Tenth sport of the season with at the least 5 3-pointers and elevated his college-document season 3-level whole to 120.
• With his 23 factors, Sandfort elevated his season scoring whole to 594 factors, transferring him up to ninth on the only-season scoring listing.
• Senior Jamarques Lawrence scored 13 factors within the win to surpass 1,000 profession factors (1,006). Lawrence’s double-determine effort was his sixteenth of the season and his first since scoring 11 factors at Iowa on Feb. 17.
• Nebraska made 14 3-pointers within the sport, marking its twenty second sport this season with at the least 10 3-pointers. Nebraska is eighteen-4 this season when making at the least 10 3-pointers in a sport.
• Nebraska’s protection posted season bests in each factors allowed (47) and discipline purpose share protection (28.3 %). The 47 factors allowed is a NU postseason document and the fewest the Huskers have allowed in a sport since Southern scored 43 on Dec. 30, 2024.
Worth Noting
• The Huskers enter the NCAA Second Round with a 27-6 document, breaking the varsity document for wins in a season that was set in 1990-91.
• Nebraska tied for second within the Big Ten standings, matching its highest convention end since back-to-back first place Big Seven Conference showings in 1948-49 and 1949-50. NU completed second within the convention standings six instances between 1950 and 2025 (1965-55, 1966-67, 1977-78, 1979-80, 1980-81 and 1992-93).
• The Huskers now have three straight 20-win seasons for the primary time at school historical past. Nebraska’s 26 common-season wins is already a college mark, bettering the mark of 24 set by the 1990-91 workforce which entered the Big Eight Conference Tournament with 24 wins.
• Pryce Sandfort turned the fourth Husker to earn first-workforce All-Big Ten honors, becoming a member of Brice Williams (2025), James Palmer Jr. (2018) and Terran Petteway (2014). Nebraska has had consecutive first-workforce All-Conference performers for the primary time since 1998 (Tyronn Lue) and 1999 (Venson Hamilton).
• Fred Hoiberg turned simply the third coach at school historical past to earn a number of convention Coach of the Year accolades, becoming a member of Joe Cipriano (1966, 1978, 1980) and Moe Iba (1980, 1981). In 1980, Joe Cipriano, who was stricken with most cancers on the time, was named UPI Big Eight Co-Coach of the Year with assistant Moe Iba, who guided Huskers in Cipriano’s absence.
• Pryce Sandfort completed Big Ten motion one 3-pointer shy of setting the Big Ten’s single-season document for 3-pointers in convention play. He completed with 79, one off the mark of 80 set by Michigan State’s Shawn Respert in 1994-95.
• Nebraska’s 15-5 Big Ten document set the mark for many convention wins at school historical past. The earlier excessive for convention wins was 13, set in 2017-18, when NU completed with a 13-5 mark.
• Nebraska has 48 wins over the previous two seasons. It is probably the most wins in a two-12 months stretch at school historical past. NU received a mixed 45 video games spanning the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.
• Nebraska’s 87 wins over the previous 4 seasons is probably the most in a 4-12 months span at school historical past. The Huskers received 85 video games between 1990-91 and 1993-94. Sam Hoiberg has been on the ground for 81 of the Huskers’ 86 wins in that span and is one of solely three gamers to win 80 or extra video games as a participant, becoming a member of Eric Piatkowski (84, 1990-94) and Bruce Chubick (81, 1990-94).
• (*16*) will make his 153rd profession look on Saturday. Including his three seasons at Bradley, he’s 98-53 (.644) in video games he is appeared in throughout his faculty profession. He shall be searching for his one hundredth profession double-determine scoring effort on Saturday.
• Nebraska completed 7-3 on the street in Big Ten play in 2025-26. The seven street wins in convention play broke the varsity document of 5, set most not too long ago in 1965-66. NU is 10-4 away from Pinnacle Bank Arena this season. The loss to Purdue within the Big Ten Tournament snapped a streak of 10 straight wins at impartial websites courting again to the 2024-25 season.
• Nebraska completed 16-2 at house this season and is 55-13 (.809) at Pinnacle Bank Arena over the previous 4 seasons. Nebraska completed the common season with 9 straight sellouts and averaged 14,671 followers per sport to rank sixteenth nationally.
• Nebraska’s 20-0 begin to the season marked simply the third time within the final 30 years a Big Ten workforce has began 20-0 and the primary since Ohio State opened the 2010-11 season with 24 straight wins.
• Nebraska was No. 14 within the NET on Selection Sunday and was one of 5 Big Ten groups within the high 15 of the NET (No. 2 Michigan, No. 8 Illinois, No. 9 Purdue, No. 11 Michigan State and No. 14 Nebraska). Nebraska completed the common season with a 15-6 mark within the first two quads (9-6 in Q1, 6-0 in Q2).
• Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, NU is 71-31 (.796) whereas the 71 wins over the previous three seasons are fifth amongst Big Ten groups in that span (Purdue-85; Illinois-76; Michigan State-76; Wisconsin-73; Nebraska-71).
• Nebraska noticed its college-document 24-sport win streak snapped on Jan. 27. It practically doubled the earlier mark of 14 set two different instances (1912-13 and 1990-91) and was the longest win streak by a Big Ten workforce since Ohio State received 24 straight to open the 2010-11 season.
Noting the Husker Offense
• Nebraska is averaging 77.2 ppg, which is simply exterior the highest 10 scoring averages at school historical past. NU’s highest common within the Big Ten period (2011-12 to current) occurred two years in the past when the Huskers averaged 77.7 ppg en route to a 23-11 document.
• The Huskers are third within the Big Ten and nineteenth nationally with 10.6 3-pointers made per sport as of March 20. The Huskers will break the only-season document of 9.54 set in 2001-02. NU, Wisconsin and Illinois are all on observe to break the Big Ten’s single-season mark for 3-pointers per sport (10.4 by Penn State in 2022-23). A Hoiberg-coach workforce has led the convention in 3-pointers per sport in 5 of his 12 faculty seasons.
• Nebraska’s 351 3-pointers is a single-season college document, breaking the mark of 319 set in 2023-24. Four of the highest six 3-level seasons at school historical past have are available Fred Hoiberg‘s seven seasons.
• NU has made 10-or-extra 3-pointers 22 instances this season, going 18-4 in these contests. NU has had 4 video games with at the least fifteen 3-pointers (17 vs. Oregon and FIU; 15 vs. Oklahoma and vs. Illinois) and set a postseason college document with 14 3-pointers in opposition to Troy.
• The Huskers rank sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.87-to-1) as of March 20. It is on observe to break the varsity mark of 1.81 set in 1984-85. The Big Ten has 5 of the highest 10 groups nationally in that class (Purdue-1st; Northwestern-2nd; Nebraska-Sixth; UCLA-seventh, Wisconsin-Tenth). The Huskers had 20 assists and simply six turnovers vs. Troy, the Tenth time NU has had a greater than 3.0-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in a sport.
• Nebraska is twelfth nationally with 18.0 assists per sport as of March 20. It is a rise of 3.8 assists per sport from final season. Nebraska’s highest help per sport whole beneath Hoiberg is 15.3 per sport in 2023-24.
• The Huskers are among the many Big Ten leaders with simply 9.64 turnovers per sport. The 9.64 turnovers per sport is on tempo to break the varsity mark of 9.96 per sport set in 2018-19. Those are the one instances at school historical past the place NU has averaged 10 or fewer turnovers per sport.
Noting the Husker Defense
• Nebraska has been stout defensively this season, rating second within the Big Ten and nineteenth nationally in discipline purpose share protection (.401).
• After holding Troy to 47 factors, the Huskers lead the Big Ten and rank fifteenth nationally in scoring protection, permitting simply 65.6 ppg. The 65.6 ppg allowed is 7.0 factors per sport fewer than final season and on tempo to be NU’s lowest scoring protection because the 2014-15 season (63.1 ppg).
• Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 7.3 steals per sport and ranks second in turnover margin (+3.5) and turnovers pressured per sport (13.1).
• The Huskers have now held 19 opponents to beneath 1.00 factors per possession and have an 18-1 mark in these video games. Over the final 4 seasons, NU is 59-4 (.936) when holding foes to beneath 1.00 PPP and 61-6 when holding opponents to beneath 70 factors.
• In Big Ten play, the Huskers completed first in scoring protection (66.2 ppg), steals (7.45/gm), 3-level share protection (.297) and turnover margin (+3.20/gm) and third in discipline purpose protection (.423).
• Nebraska has improved its KenPom defensive effectivity in every of the previous 4 seasons and ranks seventh nationally after Thursday’s win. NU’s finest KenPom rank on protection was fifteenth nationally in 2008-09. NU completed within the high 20 in defensive effectivity twice within the KenPom period (2008-09, 2007-08).
This and That
• The Huskers have excelled in shut video games this season, going 4-2 in video games determined by one possession after going winless in six video games through the 2024-25 season.
• As a workforce, Nebraska’s .753 free throw share is on tempo to be one of the very best workforce percentages at school historical past.
• Nebraska is 1-1 in OT video games, because the Huskers misplaced to No. 13 Purdue on Feb. 10 and defeated Iowa on March 8. Nebraska is 68-59 all-time in OT video games.
• The Huskers posted their third double-digit comeback of the season in opposition to Indiana on Jan. 10, overcoming a 16-point second-half deficit. It marked the twelfth time beneath Hoiberg NU has overcome a double-digit deficit, together with seven instances within the final two seasons.
• NU has 30 double-digit scoring runs (Kill Shots) this season which tied for fifteenth nationally as of March 20.
• Nine Huskers have posted double-determine efforts this season, whereas 4 gamers have had at the least one 20-level efficiency (Pryce Sandfort-13; Braden Frager-6; (*16*)-5; Jamarques Lawrence-3).
• As of March 19, there have been 29 triple-doubles in Division I basketball this season whereas NU is the one college with a number of gamers recording a triple double. Over the final seven seasons, solely 5 faculties – NU (2025-26), Iowa State (2023-24), Western Kentucky (2021-22), Portland (2021-22) and Utah (2019-20) – have had a number of gamers document triple-doubles in the identical 12 months.
• Nebraska accomplished its non-convention slate with an ideal 11-0 document, marking the primary time because the 1928-29 season the place NU posted an unblemished non-convention mark (6-0). The Huskers are 31-2 in common-season non-convention play because the begin of the 2023-24 season (10-1 in 2023-24; 10-1 in 2024-25).
