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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, beating them 76-47, to keep their March Madness dreams alive.
In doing so, the history of the program was written.
The Cornhuskers made nine trips to “The Dance”, starting in 1986, but no victories were achieved for them in those appearances.
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Rienk Mast of the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrates during the first game of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament against the Troy Trojans held at the 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 a big reason they ran away with the game. He was effective from beyond the arc in the first half, hitting five of his eight three-point attempts and scoring 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
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Sandfort then scored 23 points, taking a spot on the bench in the second half when head coach Fred Hoiberg knew he could rest his starters with a big lead.
Meanwhile, Troy struggled after that start, shooting just 28% from the field the entire 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 the 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 also came off the bench for 13 points.
The last time Nebraska made the tournament was in 2024, where they were unable to defeat Texas A&M in a 98-93 loss. And before that, the Cornhuskers couldn’t get there until 2014, where they fell to No. 6 Baylor, 74-60.
But the Cornhuskers felt different coming into the tournament this year, going 27-6 during a very successful season. However, they fell to Purdue in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament – the #2 seed falling to 7th place.
There was a chance this Cornhuskers team could have been a much higher seed without 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 a foul against the Troy Trojans during the first half of the first round of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the Paycom Center on March 19, 2026, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Next, they’ll have to face another team with a good history this year, as the Vanderbilt Commodores beat McNeese State to advance to the second round.
