How to Watch No. 4 Nebraska Basketball vs. No. 13 Troy in the NCAA Tournament with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

It was the wrong time for the Nebraska men's basketball team to face Purdue.

Despite coming into the season with one of the most loaded rosters in college basketball, the Boilermakers experienced their own struggles throughout the season, which was evident with their No. 7 overall seeding in the Big Ten Tournament — a far cry from their No. 1 preseason ranking in the AP Poll. The postseason mostly rewards the hottest team, and not the best, but it was both in the case of Purdue.

The Boilermakers punished any time Nebraska allowed a second chance opportunity, outscoring the Huskers 19-8 in that category while scoring 17 points off NU turnovers compared to just five for the Huskers. A 37-29 rebounding margin also didn't hurt, nor did the game-high 19 points from the sharpshooting Fletcher Loyer. Purdue's 41-28 halftime advantage didn't let up in the final 20 minutes as the Boilermakers ran past Nebraska 74-58 to make it one-and-done for the Cornhuskers in Chicago.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

There isn't much reason to dwell on the defeat, especially when the Boilermakers topped Michigan to become the lowest seed in the history of the Big Ten Tournament to cut down the nets. It ultimately didn't hurt Nebraska too badly either, as the Huskers landed in their dream site — a Round of 64 matchup in Oklahoma City, which is a mere six-hour drive for Nebraska fans to drive and take over OKC.

Here's all you need to know as Nebraska takes on Sun Belt Champion Troy in a game that will see the Huskers go for their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory on Thursday.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: Nebraska (26-6, 15-5 B1G) vs. Troy (22-11, 12-6 Sun Belt)
When: Thursday, March 19
Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Ok.
Time: 11:40 a.m. CDT
Watch: truTV
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Troy Scout

Head Coach

Scott Cross | 7th season at Troy; 19th as HC
125-98 (.561) at Troy; 350-259 (.575) Career Record
3x NCAA Tournament Apps.
3x Sun Belt regular season titles, 2x Sun Belt tournament, 1x Southland tournament
2x Sun Belt Coach OTY, 1x Southland Coach OTY
Previous head coach at UT Arlington
Previous assistant at TCU and UT Arlington

2025-2026 Record & Awards

Record: 22-11 (12-6 Sun Belt, 1st)
Awards: Sun Belt Coach OTY
All-Sun Belt: 1x First Team, 1x Third Team

NCAA Tournament History

All-Time Record: 0-3
2025: L, 76-57 to No. 3 Kentucky in First Round
2017: L, 87-65 to No. 2 Duke in First Round
2003: L, 71-59 No. 3 Xavier in First Round

All-Time Series

First matchup

Troy forward Thomas Dowd (1) averages a double-double and was named to the All-Sun Belt First Team as the Trojans' star. | Gregg Pachkowski/Pensacola News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Key Returners

Thomas Dowd | F | Jr. | A walking double-double, the in-state native averages nearly 15 points and 10 rebounds per game after scoring just nine points per game last year; named to the All-Sun Belt First Team and one of only two Trojans to make an all-conference squad.
Victor Valdes | F | Jr. | A 6-foot-7 forward from Mexico, the junior averages more than 14 points per game, which is a massive increase from his four points as a sophomore; joined Dowd as an all-conference performer by making the All-Sun Belt Third Team.
Theo Seng | C | Gr. | After spending time at San Francisco State, Sacramento State and Eastern Arizona College, the 6-foot-9 center has settled nicely at Troy, where he's scored nearly 13 points and six rebounds per game in his final season of college basketball.
Cooper Campbell | G | Soph. | After being one of the Trojans' best reserves last year, the Washington native has stepped into the starting lineup to score over 12 points per game and dish out four assists while being one of three players to hit 60 or more three-pointers this season.
Jerrell Bellamy | C | Sr. | The 6-foot-9 reserve center adds 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds off the bench while recording one block in every one of his 33 appearances in his senior season.
Kerrington Kiel | F | Soph. | The Birmingham, Alabama native has served as a key bench player for the Trojans in his first two college seasons, logging nearly four points and rebounds per contest in all 33 games this season.
Austin Cross | G | R-Fr. | The last of eight players to average double-digit minutes per game, the hometown recruit adds 3.7 points per game after redshirting in his first season on Troy's campus.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Cobi Campbell | G | R-Jr. | The brother of Cooper, Cobi redshirted last season after transferring from North Idaho College and has scored nine points per game this season while playing as the team's sharpshooter by hitting over 40% of his 171 three-point attempts.

Stat Comparison

Nebraska	Category	Troy
77.3	Points Per Game	80.3
66.2	Opponent Scoring Per Game	73.1
46.5%	Field Goal %	44.9%
35.3%	3-Point %	33.5%
75%	Free Throw %	73.8%
34.9	Rebounds Per Game	38.3
18.0	Assists Per Game	16.0
9.8	Turnovers Per Game	11.9
7.3	Steals Per Game	8.0
2.6	Blocks Per Game	3.4

Troy's Victor Valdes (11) was an All-Sun Belt Third Team pick as a junior and creates a dangerous front court for the Trojans. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Outlook

A Texas native who has mostly stuck around his home state for his basketball career, Scott Cross's first job out of the Lone Star State has gone extremely well. After transferring from Tyler Junior College, Cross played four seasons at Texas-Arlington from 1995 to 1998, where he would parlay his relationships with the program into an immediate assistant coach position. He would be in that role for eight seasons before finally assuming head coaching duties.

In a span from 2006 to 2018, Cross would rack up the most coaching victories in school history as he guided the programs through the transitions from the Southland Conference to the WAC and then the Sun Belt in 2013. When he left for an assistant job at TCU for the 2018-2019 season, Cross racked up a 225-161 record (.583), which included a lone NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. His brief stop in Fort Worth led him to Troy, where he's 125-98 and in the midst of five straight seasons of at least 20 wins, including consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history.

This year's version of the Trojans is built around a strong frontcourt, which is led by All-Sun Belt First Team pick Thomas Dowd. The 6-foot-8 junior is a walking double-double by averaging over 14 points and 10 rebounds per game — a big jump after averaging 9.5 PPG and 6.9 RPG as a sophomore. He's joined by All-Sun Belt Third Team selection and junior Victor Valdes. The Mexican forward equals his teammate with 14.8 points per game, but dishes out a team-leading 4.6 assists per game. With Troy representing his fourth school, center Theo Seng has settled in nicely with the Trojans by scoring 12.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Troy guard Cooper Campbell scores nearly 13 points per game and ranks second on the Trojans with 4.2 assists per game. — Troy starting guard Cooper Campbell scores nearly 13 points per game and ranks second on the Trojans with 4.2 assists per game. | Troy Athletics

The Campbell brothers of Cobi and Cooper anchor the backcourt as the two starting guards for Troy. Cooper leads the duo by rounding out the four players who average double digits by scoring 12.7 points per game. He's also another strong distributor, slotting just behind Valdes with 4.2 assists per contest. Cobi scores nine points in his 27 minutes per night, but is also the Trojan's sharpshooter with a team-high 69 treys and a 40.4% three-point mark.

6-foot-9 reserve center Jerrell Bellamy provides secondary scoring with eight points per game and over three rebounds. However, the scoring from Troy's eight-man rotation takes a big drop off after Bellamy. Young sophomore Kiel Kerrington (3.9 PPG) and redshirt freshman Austin Cross (3.7 PPG) are the only other two to see action in all 33 games this season, with the remaining six players averaging less than seven minutes per game.

It's easy for Nebraska fans to be scarred from its previous Purdue experiences, as it showed off how disadvantaged the Huskers are when taking on a team that relies strongly on its rebounding and frontcourt. While the Trojans have similar characteristics, it's a mid-major version. It's this time of year that Nebraska will see rewards of playing in the Big Ten with its non-stop physicality.

This is also a major step up for the Trojans, whose game against Nebraska will be only their second power conference contest of the season. Troy dropped a 107-106 battle with USC in November and West Georgia represents the only common opponent. The Trojans lost 93-89 in that game against UWG, while the Huskers took care of business 86-53.

There will be plenty of anxiety for Nebraska in this one, especially against a backdrop that will have a massive Husker crowd in attendance. Troy will hang around and take advantage of the early nerves, but Nebraska should play with confidence, knowing they are the better team. It's time to end the drought — give me Nebraska.