No. 4 Nebraska defeats No. 5 Vanderbilt 74-72 to reach Sweet 16

No. 5 seed Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner launched a half-court shot at the buzzer that struck the backboard and rimmed out, sealing a 74-72 win for No. 4 seed Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 21, 2026, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The victory propelled the Big Ten Conference's Cornhuskers into the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Entering the 2026 tournament, Nebraska had an 0-9 record across nine prior NCAA appearances, with all losses coming in the first round.[1]

Nebraska led 39-32 at halftime and by as many as 10 points before Vanderbilt rallied to take a five-point lead with 5:34 remaining. The Cornhuskers responded with a 6-0 run to regain the advantage.

Vanderbilt reclaimed a 72-70 lead on a Tanner layup with under a minute left, finishing with 27 points. Nebraska's Rienk Mast tied the score with a putback at 37 seconds. Vanderbilt's Chandler Bing then missed a shot for the lead.

Pryce Sandfort passed to Braden Frager for a contested layup that put Nebraska ahead 74-72 with 2.2 seconds remaining. After a Vanderbilt timeout, Tanner's inbound heave echoed Butler's Gordon Hayward shot from the 2010 national title game but fell short.

Four Nebraska players scored in double figures, including 15 points each from Sandfort and Frager. Nebraska will face the winner of top seed Florida and ninth seed Iowa in the Sweet 16.

Paycom Center is an 18,203-seat arena that serves as home to the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder and has hosted NCAA tournament games.[2]