Huskers Aim for Sweet 16 Berth on Nebraska Athletics Website

Nebraska meets Vanderbilt on Saturday in the NCAA Second Round. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CT on TNT.

The fourth-seeded Huskers enter at 27-6. Vanderbilt comes in at 27-8. The game is also available on the Huskers Radio Network, NCAA March Madness Live and HBO Max.

How Nebraska reached this point

Nebraska opened the tournament with a 76-47 win over Troy. The victory marked the program’s first NCAA Tournament win.

Pryce Sandfort led the Huskers with 23 points. He made seven 3-pointers and scored 17 points in the first half.

Jamarques Lawrence and Braden Frager each scored 13 points. Rienk Mast finished with 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

Nebraska hit 14 triples and used a 20-4 first-half run to separate. The defense limited Troy to 28.3 percent shooting and 47 points.

Vanderbilt preview

Vanderbilt advanced with a 78-68 win over No. 12 seed McNeese. Tyler Tanner scored 26 points and added seven rebounds and five assists.

The Commodores average 86.1 points per game. That scoring rate ranks them among the top 20 teams nationally.

Stakes and schedule

A Husker win would send Nebraska to the Sweet 16. The regional games begin next Thursday at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Coverage on Filmogaz.com and Nebraska Athletics highlights how the Huskers aim for a Sweet 16 berth.

Honors and milestones

Coach Fred Hoiberg received a contract extension through the 2031-32 season. The extension was announced on March 9.

Hoiberg was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year on March 10. Several players earned conference recognition that same day.

Pryce Sandfort earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches. Media selected him to the second team. Braden Frager was named Sixth Man of the Year and to the All-Freshman team.

Sam Hoiberg earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten and a spot on the conference all-defensive team. Rienk Mast received honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors.

Program history and records

• Nebraska’s 27 wins set a single-season school record, surpassing the 1990-91 mark of 26 wins.
• The 29-point margin over Troy was the largest opening NCAA Tournament win by any school since 1971.
• Pryce Sandfort reached 120 made 3-pointers, tying him among the national leaders.
• The team set a school record with 351 three-pointers this season.
• Rienk Mast recorded 1,083 career rebounds and joined the group of active players with 1,000-plus rebounds.
• Nebraska led the Big Ten in scoring defense in conference play at 66.2 points per game.
• Team cumulative GPA for the fall semester was 3.34, the highest in program history.
• The Big Ten sent nine teams to the NCAA Tournament this year, matching its conference record.

Key team metrics

• Nebraska’s offense averages 77.2 points per game.
• The Huskers rank third in the Big Ten with 10.6 made 3-pointers per game.
• The team is sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio.
• Nebraska leads the Big Ten with 7.3 steals per game.
• The Huskers force 13.1 turnovers per contest, ranking second in the conference in turnover margin.

Saturday’s matchup will test Nebraska against a high-scoring opponent. The winner moves on to the regional round in Houston.