In a game that will be remembered as one of the signature moments in Nebraska basketball history, the Cornhuskers delivered a dramatic late rally and a clutch finish to defeat Vanderbilt 74-72 and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
Freshman Braden Frager was the hero, driving for a game-winning layup with just 2.2 seconds remaining after an assist from Pryce Sandfort. Vanderbilt’s desperation half-court heave by Tyler Tanner rimmed out at the buzzer, sending a partisan Husker crowd at the Paycom Center into a record-breaking 115 decibel roar and the fourth-seeded Nebraska squad (28-6) into the South Regional semifinals in Houston.
Nebraska controlled the early action, scoring the game’s first eight points and never trailing in the first half. The Huskers shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field (15-of-25) and 6-of-10 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes, building a 39-32 halftime lead. Rienk Mast hit three threes, and Berke Buyuktuncel added key early scoring as Nebraska jumped out to leads as large as 10 points.
Vanderbilt, however, came alive in the second half behind a barrage of three-pointers (13 made overall, 10 in the second half). The Commodores erased the deficit, took their first lead at 58-55, and pushed their advantage to 67-62 with just over five minutes remaining — their largest of the night.
That’s when the Huskers showed their grit. Nebraska responded with six straight points to regain the lead. The teams traded blows in the final minute: Vanderbilt went ahead 72-70 on a clutch three-pointer, but Mast answered to tie the game at 72-72. After a critical defensive stop, Sandfort found Frager cutting to the basket for the go-ahead score. Vanderbilt had one final chance, but Tanner’s half-court heave rolled in and out as time expired.
The balanced Nebraska attack was led by Frager and Sandfort, each with 15 points. Mast added 13 points (including three more threes), and Buyuktuncel contributed 12. The Huskers shot 56 percent from the floor overall and went 9-of-19 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Sam Hoiberg dished out six assists, including five in the first half. Vanderbilt (27-9) was led by Tyler Tanner’s game-high 27 points. The Commodores made 13 threes but couldn’t close out the late rally.
The victory extends Nebraska’s school-record win total to 28 (previous mark: 26 in 1990-91) and caps an incredible two-year stretch of 49 wins — the most in any two-season span in program history. It also marks the Huskers’ sixth straight postseason victory dating back to the 2025 College Basketball Crown. Under head coach Fred Hoiberg, this is his second career Sweet 16 appearance (previously with Iowa State in 2014).
Additional milestones from the game:
- Pryce Sandfort reached 609 career points (sixth on Nebraska’s single-season list) and now ranks second all-time in Big Ten history with 123 made threes this season.
- The Huskers set a new program record with 360 three-pointers made this season and surpassed 1,000 three-point attempts for the first time in school history.
- Nebraska improved to 3-5 all-time against Vanderbilt and 2-0 against SEC teams this year.
Nebraska will face the winner of Sunday’s Iowa-Florida matchup on Thursday in Houston. For a program that entered the tournament still seeking its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, reaching the Sweet 16 feels extra sweet.
Husker fans who packed the Paycom Center created a home-away-from-home atmosphere, and the team rewarded them with a night they’ll never forget. This late rally didn’t just win a game — it wrote a new chapter in Cornhusker lore. Nebraska’s magical season continues. And with belief, execution, and clutch plays like Frager’s, the journey is far from over.