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Nebrasketball Meme of the Game: Hex-Be-Gone Edition

The Huskers pulled off a program first with their thrashing of Troy, and the Meme Army took over from there.
Dave Feit|
Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game
Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game | Dave Feit

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Nebraska CornhuskersTroy Trojans

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 any further ado, let's get to the Memes of the Game!

Four-seed Nebraska faced Troy in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The 13-seed Trojans came into the game as a trendy upset pick.

But the Huskers took a belt to the champions of the Sun Belt Conference.

After a back-and-forth start, Nebraska started to pull away midway through the first half. Pryce Sandfort got hot from outside. Rienk Mast and Berke Büyüktuncel were dominating down low, getting multiple offensive rebounds. And Nebraska’s defense was doing what it does best: swarming, confusing, and creating turnovers. The Huskers led by 16 points at halftime, and the crowd dared to dream.

Let’s pause for a second to acknowledge that crowd. Of the 15,677 fans in the Paycom Center, I suspect 75% were Husker fans. And they were LOUD. Many fans stood the entire game. I’ve been to dozens of home games that did not have a quarter of the energy in this supposedly neutral-site game. For a fan base with a long and storied history of taking over stadiums and arenas, this was a legendary showing. Kudos to everybody who made the trip and turned it into a home game. Do it again Saturday.

Fan holding "Husker History" sign after the game
Husker fans celebrate after the first NCAA Tournament win in program history. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

In the second half, Troy mounted a few minor threats but it was apparent that they could not match up with Nebraska’s size, quickness, and especially their shooting. Pryce Sandford scored a game-high 23 points, knocking down seven three-pointers. Jamarques Lawrence, Rienk Mast, and Braden Frager also scored in double digits. At one point, Nebraska’s lead extended out to 30 points. Coach Fred Hoiberg was able to empty the bench for the final few minutes.

Nebraska gots its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, 76-47. It’s hard to put into words exactly what that accomplishment means for Nebrasketball fans, but I took a shot at it.

NOTE: Due to the milestone win (and the half bottle of champagne I drank afterward), the Committee is relaxing its “one meme per user” rule. We’re also going to honor a bunch of different categories. Enjoy!

Nebrasketball Meme Army Meme of the Game 

“You just lost to 130 years of sadness” - @huskerfan4life9 

  

Runner-up 

“1991 Xavier laughs at your inability to beat Nebraska in the tournament” - @apodzimek87 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Andrew Bunch feels avenged” - @RossBenes 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Son Belt” - @HuskerGI 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Kendall Blue you out” - @mr_monk 

 

Honorable Mention 

“3 point legend Pryce Sorensen” - @RayLincoln82 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Troy says thanks, Troy” - @HuskerGI 

 

Honorable Mention 

“All of Monowi is pleased” - @BriMockOfficial 

 

Honorable Mention 

“Tear down that (Trojan) wall!” -cdj80 

 

Best Trojan Horse Meme 

“Make room for daddy!” - @Stibbs 

 

Trojan Horse Runner-Up 

“Exciting (yet hidden) whites” - @cltsfrmngtn 

 

 

Best Husker Takeover Meme 

“Moses couldn’t part this red sea” - @HuskerGI 

 

Husker Takeover Runner-Up 

“PBA South” - ReidStagemeyer 

 

Best High School Musical “T as in Troy?” Meme 

“T as in tournament win” - @grntfrdrcksn 

 

“T as in Troy?” Runner Up 

“No, L as in Loss” - @huskerfan4life9 

 

Best “Troy Takes the Stairs” Meme 

“Take the stairs home” - @NoJayskers 

 

Best Nebrasketball Meme Army Billboard Meme 

“Tanner Borchardt Bottom Text is pleased with your performance” - @cltsfrmngtn 

 

Billboard Meme Runner-Up 

“Meme Army Billboard at 75 mph” - @FeitCanWrite 

 

Stairs Meme Runner Up 

“Hope you had fun taking the stairs” – BigGlennNetwork 

 

Stairs Meme Honorable Mention 

“Stairs closed during sand storms” - @cdj80 

 

Obligatory meme referencing a well-known brand of condoms 

“Lost our Tourney V Card” - @KyleQui93120211 

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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