'We really did this': Braden Frager delivers win, Nebraska's historic run marches to Sweet 16
Nebraska's Berke Büyüktuncel (9) celebrates after defeating Vanderbilt to advance to the NCAA men's basketball tournament Sweet Sixteen at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Nebraska's Sam Hoiberg (1) dribbles the ball during the first half of the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament game at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Nebraska's Braden Frager (5) shoots the ball in front of Vanderbilt's Chandler Bing (7) during the first half of the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament game at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Tyler Tanner’s heave from midcourt appeared to be on the right trajectory. Time slowed down as the ball arced majestically toward the hoop, carrying the fate of Nebraska’s magical, historic season.
The buzzer sounded. The ball hit the backboard, then the inside of the rim, dropped halfway through the net and rattled out. The Paycom Center, filled to the brim with Nebraska fans whose hearts had briefly leapt into their throats, exploded.
Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 72. The Huskers are Sweet 16-bound for the first time in program history.
“I lost a breath for a second there,” Cale Jacobsen said. “I think my heart skipped a beat.”
“I just about dropped dead,” Pryce Sandfort said.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god,’” Berke Buyuktuncel said. The junior forward paused. “I didn’t say oh my god but I say the F-word.”
Tanner collapsed to the floor. Nebraska’s bench streamed out onto the floor as the slowly building pressure of 40 excruciating minutes of basketball finally released. The Huskers had survived a gritty, physical Vanderbilt performance on the glass. A relentless VU defensive effort muddied the NU offense for much of the night. The Commodores’ high-volume 3-point shooters caught fire at the worst possible time.
Nebraska absorbed body blow after body blow like it has all season, hung around and made plays when it mattered most. Minutes after the game ended, the team took a lap around the arena to high-five fans. When Buyuktuncel reached the tunnel, he pulled mascot Herbie Husker’s oversized hat off and placed it on his own head; he had pulled the same move after NU beat Iowa to close the regular season. The crowd roared as he disappeared down the tunnel, waving his own jersey above his head like a lasso.
“This is unbelievable,” forward Rienk Mast said. “I got no words. It’s just disbelief, almost. Like, oh my god. We really did this.”
As the clock ticked below 10 seconds, Braden Frager sprinted up the floor, his head turned to his right to see Vanderbilt swarm Sandfort on the wing. The Huskers had finally gotten a stop after two minutes of trading baskets, alternating between tying the score and trailing by two points.
Vandy guard Chandler Bing’s hurried jumper from the paint had bounced off the rim and into Sandfort’s hands. Sandfort, a lethal shooter who had knocked down 10 3-pointers over his past two games, took the ball up the floor, around a screen from Mast and looked for an open shot.
Three defenders stood in his vicinity. None were close to Frager. Over the noise and chaos, the redshirt freshman screamed for the ball.
“I knew everybody in the gym, players, fans, everybody included, had their eyes all on Pryce,” Frager said.
Sandfort slung a pass to the top of the key. One hard dribble and two steps later, Frager was laying the ball into the basket with his dominant left hand, comfortably around the contest of Devin McGlockton.
Two seconds and a heart-palpitating shot from Tanner remained, but Frager had delivered the biggest basket in Nebraska history. Vanderbilt called timeout as conflicting dynamics played out near the NU bench.
Buyuktuncel bounced out to the floor to celebrate with Frager, but assistant coach Ernie Zeigler pushed him back toward the sideline. Mast tapped a finger to his head, thinking about the Kentucky-Santa Clara game of the previous day, in which the Broncos took the lead with a late basket only for UK to send the game into overtime on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Nebraska needed to remain locked in for 2.2 seconds.
Frager still managed to soak in his one shining moment. He circled outside the NU huddle and looked out over the sea of red behind the bench. The Lincoln Southwest graduate smiled and waved his arms, urging the fans of his hometown school to grow improbably louder.
“It’s so special,” senior guard Sam Hoiberg said. “He grew up seeing not very good Nebraska basketball teams, and he’s making it cool to be a Cornhusker.”
All game long, Vanderbilt tested the Huskers’ resolve. The athletic, opportunistic backcourt of Tanner and Duke Miles harassed Nebraska ball handlers, blew up actions in the halfcourt and helped force 12 turnovers. Tanner had two open transition finishes after steals.
In the second half, the Commodores flexed their muscles on the glass to the tune of six offensive rebounds. The tide shifted on a game in which Nebraska led the entire first half. NU became frustrated with the officiating, Sandfort at one point jumping down after being whistled for a blocking foul.
Then, with Nebraska battered physically, Vandy found its shooting stroke.
Vanderbilt was 3 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half and 10 of 22 in the second. It took its first lead of the night with 8:26 left in the game after AK Okereke connected from the wing. McGlockton hit a 3 on the next possession.
Tanner, who finished with 27 points, got a feed from Miles and stepped into a jumper from the corner. Tyler Nickel made it four straight treys for the Commodores and put VU up by five points with 5:34 remaining, its largest lead of the game.
“We really got challenged mentally there because they just kept making 3s,” Mast said. “It was really tough to stay composed, but I think the crowd helped, and luckily we had a little bit of a lead so that once they start hitting you’re still in the game instead of that you’re down 10.”
Nebraska, when it took care of the ball, was efficient, shooting 55.8% from the field and 47.4% from 3-point range. Vanderbilt stayed tight on Sandfort and limited his open looks; he scored 15 points on 3 of 6 shooting from distance. Buyuktuncel, a 26% 3-point shooter this season, canned both of his attempts.
It was all enough to buoy the Huskers as Vandy took it to them physically.
Nebraska is battle-tested, hardened by pressure situations throughout the regular season. Saturday, NU didn’t flinch while pressed up to the brink of its season. The reward is a trip to Houston and a date with either top-seeded Florida or conference rival Iowa.
“I can’t even wrap my head around it, honestly,” Sandfort said. “I can’t even process this. It’s pretty crazy.”
So continues the impossible dream.
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