Nebraska ends decades of March Madness anguish with first NCAA tournament victory
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The No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers made easy work of the No. 13 Troy Trojans in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating them, 76-47, to keep their March Madness dreams alive.
In doing so, history was made for the program.
The Cornhuskers have made nine trips to “The Dance,” beginning in 1986, but were winless in those appearances.
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Rienk Mast of the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrates during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the Troy Trojans held at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos)
But there was no doubt about Nebraska on Thursday despite Troy’s strong start in this contest.
Nebraska sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort was the main reason they took the game. He was efficient from beyond the arc in the first half, making five of his eight three-point attempts and scoring 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
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Sandfort scored 23 points while taking a spot on the bench in the second half when head coach Fred Hoiberg knew he could rest his starters with a sizable lead.
Troy, meanwhile, struggled after that start, shooting just 28% from the field throughout the game, going just 13 of 46, including 8 of 28 from three-point territory.
Victor Valdes of the Troy Trojans defends Braden Frager of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
For the Cornhuskers, Jamarques Lawrence also added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, while Braden Frager came off the bench for 13 points as well.
The last time Nebraska participated in the tournament was in 2024, where they failed to beat Texas A&M in a 98-93 loss. And before that, the Cornhuskers were only able to do it in 2014, where they fell to No. 6 Baylor, 74-60.
But the Cornhuskers felt different coming into this year’s tournament, going 27-6 in a very successful season. However, they fell to Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament: the No. 2 seed fell to No. 7.
There was a chance this Cornhuskers team would have been a much higher favorite if not for that loss to the Boilermakers, but they got the ball rolling in historic fashion on Thursday.
Braden Frager and Berke Buyuktuncel of the Nebraska Cornhuskers react after a basket and foul against the Troy Trojans during the first half of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
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Next, they will have to face another team with a good history this year, as the Vanderbilt Commodores defeated McNeese State to advance to the second round.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for News Digital.