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Nebrasketball Meme of the Game: Working-Overtime Edition

The Meme Army did its duty after the Huskers' finished with a flourish Sunday in OT against Iowa.
Dave Feit|
Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game
Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game | Dave Feit

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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!

Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game 

It was senior day for No. 9 Nebraska as they hosted their rivals from the other side of the Missouri River – the Iowa Hawkeyes.  The Huskers were looking for revenge from a disappointing loss in Iowa City in February.  Additionally, Nebraska was looking to wrap up their best finish as members of the Big Ten Conference. 

The first half was a bit of a rock fight.  Defenses stood tall, shots didn’t fall, but NU went into the locker room with a four-point lead.  In the second stanza, Nebraska increased their lead to 11 points and led by double digits for a large chunk of the half.  But Iowa did what they often do against Nebraska.  They chipped into the lead, had a random player get hot from outside, and created just enough disruption to get the Huskers out of rhythm.  Some uncharacteristic turnovers and missed free three throws helped the Hawkeyes cut the deficit to a single possession. 

In the last few seconds, with Nebraska leading by three, Iowa missed a wide-open three.  But they got the rebound, kicked it out, and hit a three to send the game to overtime.  

In OT, Cale Jacobsen took over.  He scored six of his 15 points (a career high!) in overtime, including two clutch three-pointers.  Seniors Sam Hoiberg and Jamarques Lawence also contributed big plays in overtime as Nebraska ran away with an 84-75 victory.  Senior Rienk Mast had a strong game, complete with monster dunk. 

The Huskers improved to 26-5 on the season, matching the program’s record for wins in a season.  With the win (and Michigan State’s loss to Michigan) the Huskers secured the 2-seed in the Big Ten Tournament, which comes with a triple bye.  Nebraska plays next on Friday, against an opponent to be determined. 

Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game 

“Court of Dreams” - @jamespruch 

  

Runner-up 

“Loser gets Carter Lake” - @huskerfan4life9 

 

Honorable Mention 

“That is the question” - @AhmonGreen 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Mini Me Hoiberg” - @pavelkasuncle 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Cale Curry” - @HuskerGI 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Senor Nick Bahe says Nebrasketball is numero uno” - @cdj80 

 

Honorable Mention 

“The Sandfort brothers enjoyed watching your team lose” - @malmurrayszn 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Berke has more big hats than Iowa has trophies” - @Ryan_Salisbury2 

 

Honorable Mention for using a map showing my hometown 

“You just lost to the greater Ashland-Greenwood municipal areas” - @huskerfan4life9 

  

The picture of Rienk Mast’s dunk where his waist was in line with Bennet Stirtz’s face was posted 27 times.  This is the only one of those that meets our “family friendly” criteria: 

“Nice Game Buddy… WOOOOO!” - @RayLincoln82 

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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