The No. 4 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated the No. 13 seed Troy Trojans 76-47 on March 19, 2026, in a first-round game of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The victory was the first in program history for Nebraska, which entered the tournament with an 0-8 record across eight prior appearances dating to 1986.[1]
Nebraska's previous NCAA tournament results included first-round losses to UNLV in 1986, UCLA in 1989, Cincinnati in 1998, Arkansas in 2008, BYU in 2012, Stephen F. Austin in 2013, Baylor in 2014 and Texas A&M in 2024.[1]
In 2024, Nebraska fell 83-98 to Texas A&M in the first round.[2] Ten years earlier, in 2014, the Cornhuskers lost 60-74 to Baylor.[3]
Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points for Nebraska, including 17 in the first half on five of eight three-point attempts. Jamarques Lawrence added 13 points on four-of-eight shooting, while reserve Braden Frager also scored 13.
Troy shot 28% from the field (13-for-46), including eight of 28 from three-point range.
The win advances Nebraska to the second round of the tournament. Fred Hoiberg has coached the Cornhuskers since 2019.[4]
Sources
- Wikipedia. "Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball." Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_Cornhuskers_men%27s_basketball#NCAA_Tournament_history
- ESPN. "Texas A&M 98-83 Nebraska (Mar 24, 2024) Final Score." March 24, 2024. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401581533
- ESPN. "Baylor 74-60 Nebraska (Mar 21, 2014) Final Score." March 21, 2014. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/400472653
- University of Nebraska Athletics. "Fred Hoiberg - Men's Basketball Coach." Accessed October 2024. https://huskers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/fred-hoiberg/5328
