Welcome to Husker March Madness Central. We'll have running updates throughout the week as the Nebraska men's team plays in the regional semifinals in Houston on Thursday night against rival Iowa.
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Now, for the latest info and analysis:
A potential excused absence for Jessica Coody
Saturday will be a busy day on the Husker radio network. The network plans to have pregame coverage of the Nebraska football spring game starting at 9 a.m. The Husker baseball game against Indiana will follow, with coverage slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. ahead of a 2 p.m. first pitch.
The network may have to make room for a men's basketball broadcast later in the day. That'll be the case if the Huskers are set to play Illinois or Iowa in the South regional final, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
That's where a potential conflict may arise.
Jessica Coody, who contributes to Husker broadcasts in both football and men's basketball, will be in one of two places.
Husker football play-by-play broadcaster Kyle Crooks told The World-Herald on Tuesday that Coody's status for the spring football game is up in the air.
If the Huskers lose to Iowa on Thursday night in Houston, Coody will be part of the broadcast team for the spring football game Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
If the Huskers win Thursday night, Coody will remain in Houston to take part in the Elite Eight broadcast.
Tip time and TV set
The Huskers-Hawkeyes game will tip off Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and be televised on TBS and TruTV. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan will have analysts Robbie Hummel and Stan Van Gundy, plus sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi.
Nebraska favored to beat Iowa
A day after Nebraska's thrilling win over Vanderbilt in the NCAA second round, the Huskers got what could be some good news: Ninth-seeded Iowa upset top-seeded Florida, setting up a Huskers-Hawkeyes showdown Thursday in Houston with a spot in the Elite Eight.
Husker fans know better than to take Iowa lightly. But Nebraska opened as a 2.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tip time and TV set
Nebraska will play Vanderbilt at 7:45 p.m. Saturday on TNT. Primetime doesn't necessarily mean much to the TV executives on the opening weekend of March Madness — the biggest games on Saturday, in the TV folks' eyes, are the first two. In this case, Michigan will play Saint Louis on CBS at 11:10 a.m., followed by Michigan State playing Louisville at 1:45 p.m.
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Nebraska's Braden Frager (5) dunks the ball during the
second half of the first round of the NCAA men's basketball
tournament game against Troy at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City,
on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
NIKOS FRAZIER, THE WORLD-HERALD
Nebraska beats Troy coverage:
Photos
Husker history made in an "electric" scene
Tom Shatel's column from the day/Shatel's Press Box
Fans take over OKC
Pryce Sandfort meets the moment
Amie Just's column on a new beginning
Kent Pavelka's call
What Tim Miles and Doc Sadler said
Nebraska opens as a slight underdog against Vanderbilt
Following Nebraska's history-making 76-47 rout of Troy on Thursday afternoon, the Huskers are set to play Vanderbilt Saturday in Oklahoma City in the Round of 32.
The Huskers, seeded fourth in the South region, will once again be in their home whites against the fifth-seeded Commodores.
But Nebraska opened as a slight betting underdog. DrafKings Sportsbook has Vanderbilt as a 1.5-point favorite. The line moved to Vandy being a 2.5-point favorite by Friday morning,
Nebraska was a 13.5-point favorite against Troy.
Nebraska's round-by-round NCAA tournament odds
Nate Silver, the statistician famous for building sports and election models, has a model that assigns each team a percentage chance of making it to each round.
Silver's 2026 model assigns Nebraska the following odds:
- A 92.7% chance of beating Troy and advancing to the Round of 32
- A 44.3% chance of advancing to the Sweet 16
- A 13.9% chance of advancing to the Elite Eight
- A 5% chance of advancing to the Final Four
- A 1.7% chance of advancing to the national championship game
- A 0.5% chance of winning the national championship
Nebraska women crush Richmond, advance to Round of 64
The Nebraska women's team used a 17-0 third-quarter run to blow out Richmond 75-56 Wednesday night in the NCAA tournament First Four.
Next up: A game against Baylor at 1 p.m. Friday from historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Sam McKewon's take on Nebraska's NCAA draw
Nebraska is a 4 seed in the NCAA tournament — a notch below where some bracketologists had the Huskers pegged.
But all things considered, the Huskers got a favorable draw when the committee revealed that they'll play Troy in the NCAA Round of 64 Thursday in Oklahoma City.
That's the take Sam McKewon delivered on a mini episode of the Pick Six podcast.
Go here to watch the episode.
Nebraska opens as a double-digit favorite against Troy
Nebraska opened as a 13.5-point favorite against Troy in Thursday's first-round NCAA tournament game.
The 13.5-point spread is uniform across most major sportsbooks and there's been no movement to the line just yet.
The prediction market Kalshi gives Nebraska an 89% chance to win the game. That's a smidge lower than analytics models, which have the Huskers' chances at around 92%.
TV, tip time announced for Nebraska-Troy men's game
Nebraska will play Troy in the first-round of the NCAA tournament in Oklahoma City, effectively the closest regional to NU.
Tip time: 11:40 a.m.
Network: TruTV
One-on-one with voice of the Huskers Kent Pavelka
While you're prepping for the Huskers' games this week, check out our Pick Six Podcast episode with Ben Doody and legendary Husker basketball broadcaster Kent Pavelka.
Pavelka talks about his 50-plus years behind the mic and tells us where this year's Husker team ranks among the best that he's covered. He also shares his take on how Nebraska has fared in conference realignment; tells us about the time he applied for a job calling games for a signature NFL franchise; and previews what he might say on the air this Thursday if Nebraska gets that elusive first-ever NCAA win.
The Big Games
A look back at our coverage throughout the season:
A chaotic comeback vs. Oklahoma
A rout of rival Creighton
Jamarques Lawrence beats Illinois at the buzzer
NU's comeback at Indiana and Ohio State
Nebraska falls just short at Michigan and vs. Purdue
Pryce Sandfort and NU get revenge vs. Iowa
The Key Players
Sam Hoiberg's journey as Fred son's and a twin
The evolution of Pryce Sandfort
The rise of Braden Frager
How Jamarques Lawrence grew in his year away
The moments that made Cale Jacobsen
Berke Buyuktuncel's triple-double
Rienk Mast had one, too.
Take a look inside the Paycom Center as Nebraska men's basketball takes on Troy in the first round of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament
