No. 4 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers defeated No. 13 seed Troy Trojans 76-47 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 19, 2026, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The victory marked the first NCAA tournament win in program history for Nebraska, which entered the event with an 0-11 record across 11 prior appearances dating to 1986.[1]

Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points for Nebraska, including 17 in the first half on five of eight three-point attempts. Jamarques Lawrence and reserve Braden Frager added 13 points each. Troy shot 28 percent from the field (13-for-46) and 29 percent from three-point range (8-for-28).

Nebraska, coached by Fred Hoiberg, advanced from the Big Ten Conference. Troy represented the Sun Belt Conference. The Cornhuskers are scheduled to face Vanderbilt in the second round after the Commodores defeated McNeese State.

Nebraska's previous tournament appearance was in 2024 as a No. 8 seed, falling 97-87 to Texas A&M in the first round.[2][3] Prior to that, in 2014 as a No. 11 seed, they lost 74-60 to No. 6 Baylor.[4][5]

Paycom Center, home arena of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, has hosted multiple NCAA tournament games.

Sources

1. Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball - Wikipedia, accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_Cornhuskers_men%27s_basketball
2. NCAA.com, "Texas A&M 97, Nebraska 87 - Final", March 22, 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/game/6171401
3. ESPN, "Texas A&M 97-87 Nebraska (Mar 22, 2024) Final Score", March 22, 2024, https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401671833
4. ESPN, "Baylor 74-60 Nebraska (Mar 20, 2014) Game Summary", March 20, 2014, https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/400526653
5. NCAA.com, Baylor vs. Nebraska box score, March 20, 2014, https://stats.ncaa.org/game/336661