The fourth-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers secured their first Sweet 16 appearance in program history on Saturday, defeating the fifth-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores 74-72 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional. The victory at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City pushes Nebraska to a school-record 28 wins for the season.
The game concluded after Nebraska redshirt freshman Braden Frager executed a driving layup with 2.2 seconds remaining on the clock to break a 72-72 tie. Vanderbilt had one final opportunity to salvage their season, but guard Tyler Tanner missed a half-court heave as time expired.
Frager and Pryce Sandfort anchored the Nebraska offense, each scoring 15 points, while Rienk Mast added 13 points to the winning effort. The world of collegiate sports witnessed a historic milestone as Nebraska shed decades of postseason futility, having never won an NCAA Tournament game prior to their first-round victory over Troy earlier in the week.
Braden Frager goes up and under for the game-winning layup with 2 seconds left to send Nebraska to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history!🤯
(via @MarchMadnessMBB) pic.twitter.com/YK7sSTj3JA
— Goosebump Sports (@GoosebumpSports) March 22, 2026
Vanderbilt exits the tournament with a 27-9 record, falling short of their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2007. Tyler Tanner led all scorers with 27 points, including 15 in the first half, while Tyler Nickel contributed 16 points for the Commodores in the losing effort.
Nebraska now advances to the South Regional semifinals in Houston, Texas. They are scheduled to play on Thursday against the winner of the matchup between top-seeded Florida and ninth-seeded Iowa.