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Nebrasketball Meme of the Game: Turtle Stew Edition

Once the Maryland Terrapins were back in their shells, the Meme Army snapped into action.
Dave Feit|
Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game
Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game | Dave Feit

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Nebraska CornhuskersMaryland Terrapins

Over the last few seasons, the long-suffering Nebraska basketball fan base has celebrated wins by flooding the responses of their opponent with memes, GIFs, gags and trolling with surgical precision.

The game goes final, the other school's social media team posts the final score on Twitter, and then the real fun begins.

It is unclear when the first postgame meme was sent, but there is agreement as to when the phenomenon exploded: after Nebraska's 63-53 upset of No. 7 Creighton in December 2022.

Since then, the regular participants have adopted a collective name: The Nebrasketball Meme Army. Thousands of Husker fans now seek out these memes and share their favorites.

But most of us lead busy lives and don't have time to scroll through 300+ responses (many of which are repeats). That is where the Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game (NMAMG) comes in.

We at the NMAMG believe that by celebrating excellence in the art of meme-making we can collectively elevate the Nebrasketball fan meme game to keep pace with the rapidly improving product on the court.

The Nebraska Meme Army Meme of the Game committee rewards: 

  • Humor. Does it make us laugh?
  • Originality. The "Rienk Mast / Bottom Text" meme format is a classic, but creativity is key.
  • Topical relevance. Bonus points for references to opponents, star players, or key moments. The meme about Berke Büyüktuncel's bloody lip from the Wisconsin game is a great example.
  • Little to no AI usage. We prefer our memes to be organic, farm-to-table creations.
  • Does not cross the line. The committee understands that the memes are — at their core — intended to troll the opponent after a loss. But this can be done without being demeaning, obscene or any type of -ist. Keisei Tominaga flipping off Penn State is a classic image, but we're going to keep it PG-13.

In the eyes of the committee, the classic "You just lost to Gary, Indiana" meme (featuring forward Juwan Gary, and used after defeating Indiana) is the gold standard. It checks every box.

Without further ado, let's get to the Memes of the Game!

After falling out of the AP top 10 for the first time since Jan. 4, the No. 12 Nebraska Cornhuskers hosted Maryland on Wednesday night. The Terps are struggling under first-year head coach Buzz Williams, but are a young team. Berke Büyüktuncel returned after missing the Penn State game (illness), as did Jamarques Lawrence (ankle and illness).

The Huskers got out to an ice-cold start and the fans were still standing awaiting the first points at the under-16 media timeout. Nebraska led 33-27 at the half. Maryland came storming out in the second and retook the lead. Husker fans everywhere were starting to feel nervous about a bad loss tanking NU’s hopes for a high NCAA Tournament seed.

But Nebraska did what they have done so many times this season. They didn’t panic. They cranked up the defensive intensity and looked for good shots in the paint. Seniors Sam Hoiberg, Rienk Mast, and Lawrence led the way down the stretch and Pryce Sandfort provided some dagger three-pointers. The Huskers won 74-61.

With the victory, Nebraska improved to 24-4 on the season. The win total ties the 1990-91 squad for the most in a regular season in program history. Overall, the 2025-26 team now has the second-most wins by any NU team. Also, Nebraska is now guaranteed to finish the season with fewer than 10 losses.

Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game 

“Nebraska’s 8th Straight Flu Game” = @pavelkasuncle

Runner-up

“New Maryland Flag” - @eyeformation

Honorable Mention

“A message from the NDOT Highway Safety Office” - @KyleQui93120211

Honorable Mention

“Check out this turtle!” - @BigGlennNetwork

Honorable Mention

“Sam Hoiberg’s cell phone” - @Stibbs

Honorable Mention

“You Just Lost to Kendall Flu” - @ChicagoStation

Honorable Mention

“Sam Hoiberg used harden” - @huskerfan4life9

Honorable Mention

“Popcorn Kid Approves” - @cltsfrmngtn

Honorable Mention

“Franklin thinks you’re a disgrace” - @TKanost

Honorable Mention

“Kelly Pfeifer couldn’t save you” - @litdadfam

Honorable Mention

“Harbor Freight Hardest Worker of the Game” - @JaredGarciaClub

Best of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles memes

“Shredder’s Turtle Soup” - @jorster

TMNT Meme Honorable Mention

“Can you believe this guy?” - @SipplesLostT

Congratulations to all our winners!

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Dave Feit
DAVE FEIT

Dave Feit began writing for HuskerMax in 2011. Follow him on Twitter (@feitcanwrite) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/FeitCanWrite)

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