A Monumental NCAA Tourney Win for Husker Hoops

After decades of futility, Nebraska earns the right to keep playing in the Big Dance.

Troy forward Thomas Dowd has a shot blocked during Thursday's game in OKC. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stop the presses, pop the champagne, kiss your mother-in-law and if you feel like it, paint your driveway red. Nebraska has finally earned its very first NCAA tournament win with a decisive 76-47 victory over the Troy Trojans in Oklahoma City.

To put this win in perspective, Nebraska has been playing basketball for 130 years. During that time the Huskers have had fifteen 20-win seasons and have been invited to The Big Dance eight times. All eight times the Huskers went one and done.


To add insult to injury, until this week Nebraska was the only power conference basketball program in the country never to have won an NCAA tournament game.

Despite eight NCAA appearances, Nebraska lost every game. The average score was 72- 84.

So how long has Nebraska been the lone winless team in the NCAA Basketball tournament?

The last team before this week was the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten. Northwestern beat Vanderbilt 68-66 at the Salt Lake Regional on March 16, 2017. Nebraska has held the distinction of being the last surviving no-winner for nine straight years.

The Game

Shortly after Fred Hoiberg was hired, I got a chance to visit briefly with the new head coach.

I told him if that when one of his teams breaks NU’s winless streak in March Madness games that they would erect a statue in his honor outside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

He laughed, but I’m sure he knew exactly the challenges that lay in front of him and the Husker men’s basketball program.

What was awesome about the Troy game were the chants from the partisan Husker crowd before tipoff of “Go Big Red”! “Go Big Red!” “Go Big Red!”

The arena was filled with Husker fans. And they’ll be there Saturday night as well.

The Husker defense was suffocating the entire game. In fact, the Husker D caused 10 steals and allowed only 46 total points for the men of Troy.

Who am I happiest for after the win?

Rienk Mast

That’s because of all the physical and emotional pain he endured while he was recovering from major knee surgery last year.

Sam Hoiberg

No one seemed to want him out of high school, but this year, he became a dominate player for Nebraska.

Pryce Sandfort

He transferred to Nebraska from Iowa this year. He earned First Team All-Big Ten honors this season.

Jamarques Lawrence

He transferred back to NU this year to help his team be one of the best in the nation.

Berke Büyüktuncel, Cale Jacobsen, Braden Frager and the rest of the Huskers.

They performed brilliantly this season. Of course, we should be happy for Fred Hoiberg. Without his leadership and passion, it’s hard to image having a basketball season like this year’s.

The Nebraska basketball fans

They have supported the Huskers for decades. Take a bow.

And what about the great work of Husker PBP man Kent Pavelka has done for over the years?

Lastly, all the former Nebraska players and coaches also need to be recognized. They are the ones who never got the chance to realize their dreams of tasting the sweetness of a March Madness victory.

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