Stukenholtz: We’ll Always Have Oklahoma City

Even though dreams were dashed in Houston, nothing can ever take away two wins in three days and countless memories made in OKC.

Cole and Jeff hold still just long enough to have their picture taken shortly after Nebraska's thrilling second-round victory over Vanderbilt, 72-70, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Cole Stukenholtz

It all started innocently enough.

“We should meet up at a Nebraska NCAA Tournament Bball game!”

My best friend from high school, Alex, texted that to me on December 27, 2025. Two weeks prior, the Huskers wrapped up a week that saw home wins over Creighton and Wisconsin, topped off with a buzzer-beating 83-80 road victory over then-No. 13 Illinois. The Huskers were 12-0 and ranked 13th in the AP poll. It was a far cry from the basketball he and I saw as UNL students in the Barry Collier days of the early 2000s.

Then, on January 10, Nebraska won in come-from-behind fashion at Indiana, 83-77. 16-0 and about to ascend to their best poll ranking in school history. I texted Alex, who lives in the Los Angeles area these days, about the potential tourney trip.

“We better start looking for Airbnb’s in OKC in mid-March…”

By the time NU smoked Minnesota 76-57, climbing to 20-0 and 5th in the country, I was ready to dive in. Since reasonable Airbnbs wouldn’t be within walking distance, I zeroed in on a few 2-star hotels just east of Bricktown. On January 25, I booked a room with two queen beds at Country Inn & Suites in Oklahoma City.

We were going dancing. Hopefully in OKC.

Sometime between the Michigan loss and Selection Sunday, Alex had to drop out. But I had another friend, Jeff, ready to step in. I invited Jeff to come along if he could swing it.

The stars aligned for Jeff and me. He snatched up all-session tickets in Oklahoma City before the bracket was revealed. Then, OKC was confirmed as Nebraska’s March Madness destination. Wednesday baseball game in Wichita on the way down? Sure, let’s do that, too.

Husker fans made up the majority of fans inside Eck Stadium for Nebraska baseball's road game at Wichita State on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Most were on their way to see Nebraska basketball play Troy in the NCAA Tournament the next day in Oklahoma City. | Cole Stukenholtz

Nebraska fans probably outnumbered Wichita State fans 2-to-1 at the ball game. A nice older couple from Papillion sat behind us. They were retired, had been married for 46 years, and proudly traveled to the volleyball final four every season regardless of whether the Huskers made it. What’s more, the husband recounted the story of how they became NU volleyball fans.

Back in 2004, John Cook called him up. He had a big-time recruit on a visit who was interested in forensics, and this guy headed up the crime lab at the Nebraska State Patrol. He hosted the recruit and her family, Cook sent them two tickets to a match, and the recruit ended up playing at Nebraska.

It was Sarah Pavan.

* * *

Thursday arrived quickly, especially with Nebraska playing in the second game of the day. Jeff and I decided to go to the team hotel after seeing on social media that fans were invited to send them off at 9 a.m. Walking into the hotel lobby at 8:30, there were plenty of Husker fans, but it wasn’t crowded yet.

We spotted Pat Norris, longtime equipment manager for men’s basketball and one helluva slow-pitch softball pitcher. After we said hi to Pat, we identified the team’s route from the stairs to the buses and posted up along their path.

Nebraska's players and coaches file out of the Skirvin Hotel while being greeted by hundreds of Nebraska fans ahead of their first round matchup with the Troy Trojans on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Cole Stukenholtz

By the time the players and coaches finally started their trek around 9:15, the lobby was shoulder-to-shoulder except for a narrow walkway lined with band members, cheerleaders, and hundreds of fans.

All everybody wanted was to win.

When the Paycom Center doors opened at 10:10 – 90 minutes before tipoff, we were in line and moved through security quickly. I spotted my cousin Nolan while waiting in the merch line, and we high-fived. He had to ask his friend where their seats were. After buying our March Madness t-shirts, Jeff and I found section 120 and sat in our seats. Or stood, I don’t remember.

Before the game, I zoned out for a few minutes. “This is it,” I thought. I was staring at the court where history would soon be made.

I could see Jack Mitchell and his son, Johnny, in their seats a few sections to our left. Mike Schaefer and his wife and friends were to our right. A few rows behind us was UNL College of Journalism alum and Sporting Kansas City play-by-play man Blake Aerni.

After what felt like hours in the arena, the fateful game began. The vibes were fine, mostly, but everyone was a little nervous for the first few minutes. Once Pryce Sandfort started splashing threes, more casual conversations sprang up. Someone brought up Pryce’s brother, Payton, and how he flew overnight to OKC to see his brother play. The Husker fan in front of us was the only one who knew where the Thunder had played the night before – "Brooklyn," he said. "I live 3 blocks from Barclays Center," where the Nets play.

Halftime gave me an opportunity to walk off my nerves. Sure, NU led by 16, but, well, you know. I stopped over at Jack and Johnny’s section first, and while Jack was not there, I saw Johnny and we high-fived and marveled at how well the first half had gone. I also randomly ran into Brandon Gries, a huge Husker hoops fan who was a student at UNL the same time I was. If you've ever watched the 2014 Nebraska-Wisconsin basketball game - AKA No-Sit Sunday - on YouTube, you have Brandon to thank. He's the one who uploaded it.

My final halftime stop before grabbing a brat and a water was to see Matt Knobbe, the Husker Hoops Central guru. Amongst our excited-yet-guarded evaluation of the first 20 minutes of the game, he gave me a sneak peek at the custom shirt he had under his jacket. It would soon be made famous nationwide as his picture, posted in his victory tweet, was broadcast on CBS’ networks after the game:

NCAA TOURNEY GAME WINNER

#Nebrasketball pic.twitter.com/sutGzSjImw

— Husker Hoops Central (@HuskerHC) March 19, 2026

Troy had called a futile timeout with 8:22 left. Braden Frager just sank a triple to make it 65-40. A *25* point lead. That’s when it hit me. They were doing it. Nebraska was in the midst of their first March Madness win ever, I was in the building, and I was leveled by all the emotions.

I cried. Just a little, but it was real tears.

The ill-fated Memphis trip with my Dad two years earlier, just a week after my wife and I took the kids to Minneapolis and watched Keisei make Indiana’s coach quit in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. Producing a postgame show for the 2018-19 season that went from promising to depressing in a flash. Buying actual paper tickets – with Jeff again – on No-Sit Sunday about 45 minutes before tip. Going crazy during NU’s 2011 upset of No. 3 Texas while watching from a bachelor party in Illinois with my buddy’s friends, who thought I was nuts. Literally sleeping overnight in the lower bowels of Devaney just to get a front row seat in the student section for a whooping from Kansas. My first in-person game in 1997 was with my Dad, a win over K-State.

All those memories. Now this one.

Cole and Jeff finally have their picture taken after soaking in the postgame scenes following Nebraska's first round win - finally! - over Troy, 76-47, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Cole Stukenholtz

Nebraska 76 - Troy 47.

Let the Nebrasketball party of the century begin.

But first, I had to pay homage to Kent Pavelka. Maybe more of a celebrity than even Fred Hoiberg or the players, it took until almost halftime of the McNeese-Vanderbilt game before Kent was off the air and sitting still. Always gracious, he took a couple of minutes to chat with me and Jeff – whose uncle knew Kent when they were in their 20s! – on the day of the first tourney win for Nebraska. What a treat.

After calling Nebraska's 76-47 win - their first ever in the NCAA Tournament - Kent Pavelka, the Voice of Husker basketball, graciously chatted and took pictures with anyone who asked, including Cole and Jeff. | Cole Stukenholtz

Then, we randomly ran into Amie Just on the concourse. She was in between postgame press conferences and her stories and columns for the Lincoln Journal Star. Right after that, I recognized a guy but couldn’t place where from. Then it hit me, and I tapped him on the shoulder. It was Cole from Abel 10, one of the students who lived on my dorm floor at UNL when I was an RA in 2004-05. He brought his family to OKC, and one of his boys was also named Cole.

It was still only 3:30 by the time I got to Social Capital, a bar with a rooftop patio a couple of blocks away from the arena. Jeff walked back to the hotel for a nap, and I met up with Jack, Kaleb Henry, and Josh Peterson, who were wrapping up their I-80 Club postgame show, Nebrasketball Hour. They were talking to two guys I didn’t recognize, but as I overheard the discussion, I figured out I knew only their voices, which I had first heard over a decade prior. 

Kell & Sutt hosted the Nebrasketball Podcast for years in the wilderness. They toiled away while their lives got busier, and the team they rooted for rarely did anything of significance. Having discovered podcasts in 2014 or 2015, you could describe me as a semi-loyal follower of their labor of love. I met them for the first time on this day of all days while we drank celebratory beers.

After leaving Social Capital, Lincoln Arneal invited us to the GOAT Sports Bar, which had just opened *that day* and was filled to the brim with happy Husker fans. We chatted with Lincoln and his friend, Charlie, then with Jacob Bigelow and Austin Oerman from 93.7 The Ticket.

It was finally nighttime. Wilson Moore – the Omaha World-Herald’s Nebrasketball beat writer and a gold glove slow-pitch softball third baseman – let me know he and a few other media members were grabbing food at Bricktown Brewery, and we wandered over to join them. Wilson was there with Amie and Tom Shatel, along with Andy Kendeigh and Lauren Michelson from KETV.

That was just Thursday.

* * *

Friday started with a hotel breakfast at 8:30. Jeff and I sat next to a mom and son from Lincoln who were about to drive back home. The boy, a second grader who plays basketball and soccer, wore a Michael Jordan jersey and thought the Nebraska-Troy game was fun. Me too, kid.

We walked north to Willow Coffee, where the baristas said they were blown away by the kindness and sheer number of Nebraska people. Around 11:30, we went to Crabtown to meet Jeff’s uncle Jim and cousin Lori for lunch. Yes, the same uncle that knew Kent Pavelka back in the 1970s - and he lives in Oklahoma City. Jim recounted some KP stories, including a Fremont football game they called together, and a boat ride where Kent *proposed to his wife!* They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, but Kent said to say hi, and we did.

After lunch, it was time to watch some basketball. It was, after all, first round Friday. Big Al’s didn’t have many patrons, and their one-TV-per-room setup wasn’t ideal, but when we stopped in to scope it out, we happened to see the crazy back-and-forth end of regulation shots in Santa Clara-Kentucky. Half-court shot at the buzzer? You don't see that every day...

Next door was Whiskey Chicks, which had an open table, six screens, and many Husker fans. Just in time for Nebraska women’s basketball to start their first-round game against Baylor. Of course, at the table next to ours was the father of one of my 6-year-old’s classmates, whom I coached in kindergarten soccer the year before. Two soccer dads from south Lincoln watching Husker women’s hoops together at a bar…in downtown Oklahoma City.

After the NU women’s loss went final, we ate at a bowling alley/arcade called Revolutions, then heard from Kaleb that he and the I-80 Club crew were getting dinner at Bricktown Brewery. For the second night in a row, Jeff and I headed there to hang with friends while they ate and we didn’t. Next was a bar called Fuel, where we spent the rest of the evening.

We took turns buying rounds, chatted about Thursday’s win, and laughed about the once inconceivable thought that Nebraska could be playing in the Sweet 16 next weekend. All they had to do was beat Vanderbilt. And all everybody wanted was to win.

* * *

Second round Saturday. Breakfast at Country Inn & Suites, again. A white chocolate mocha at Willow Coffee, again. Went to Truckyard for lunch, a neat setup just past the Bass Pro Shops parking lot, which had at least four food trucks and tons of lawn furniture. The trick was to find some shade, because it had gotten hot. The food and heat forced me to walk back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. I was really tired.

But I couldn’t sleep.

Instead, I re-watched the Troy game broadcast since I couldn’t finish it the night before. I beamed with pride at how loud every crowd pop was as the lead grew and grew. I was a part of that noise. It was about time to do it all again. But first, we watched my 6-year-old’s dance from a competition in Council Bluffs on my laptop via the live stream.

Cole wasn't at his daughters' dance competition when he trekked to OKC for Husker basketball's March Madness games. But, thanks to the magic of the internet, he saw them dance anyway, from the rooftop at Social Capital. | Cole Stukenholtz

Back to Social Capital before the Vandy game. My next random encounter was with a guy from Columbus – where my wife is from – who we figured out graduated from Columbus High with my sister-in-law. Hilarious! Then my 14-year-old took her turn on the dance stage, and we streamed it from the rooftop on my phone with beers in hand and Paycom Center visible in the distance.

We talked to a doctor from Gothenburg and his dad from Brady. Mike and Jared from the No Block No Rock podcast. A guy from Broken Bow who drove down after Thursday’s win with no hotel and no ticket (he found both). There was a group of overserved mid-twenties friends constantly starting the ‘Go Big Red’ chant. Johnny and Stibbs made it over before Kaleb, Jack, and Josh. I witnessed so many in-person meetings between people who only knew each other via the internet and a shared obsession with Husker Sports.

As the hour grew later, an apparent focus started to spread among the patrons. It was time to get back to being loud.

Inside the arena, I spotted Lincoln and Charlie again. Naturally, they were hanging with a group that included Jeff’s boss! I chatted with a guy in line for the bathroom who lives two hours north of Columbia, MO. He’s a Husker fan whose parents hail from Lincoln and Greeley County (north of St. Paul). Right before tip, I saw on social media that one of my son’s soccer coaches was planning to refresh Google to follow the action while at a coaching clinic in the Netherlands, where the game started at 1 a.m.

This Nebrasketball community was so connected. I was just one person in OKC, Jeff another. Think of how many other chance meetings with family or friends or random strangers occurred over this single weekend. It was close enough to essentially relocate the hardcorest of hardcore, dropping them into a powder keg of pent-up enthusiasm. Some pressure had been released with the win over Troy. If they beat Vanderbilt, it would explode.

* * *

You’ve seen the game, the ear-splitting volume and frenzied homecourt advantage Husker fans created. The twenty-something guy behind me really hated Devin McGlockton, No. 99 for Vanderbilt, probably because on Friday he spoke of Husker fans saying, “It’s gonna be fun making them quiet on Saturday.” This guy from section 322 was not going to let a comment like that slide.

The crowd and the game were super intense. It was the most ‘Nebraska Not Nice’ I’ve ever seen Husker fans – and I was at the 2014 Miami and 2024 Colorado football games.

I chose not to take any live video of the finish. This felt like something I wanted to witness with my own eyes, fully focused on the play on the court and not on whether I had everything framed up and zoomed in the way I wanted.

Once the last 1:42 had played out with no stoppages until 2.2 seconds remained, I was so glad I witnessed every second. The Hoiberg mid-air putback to tie it at 70. Tyler Tanner’s driving layup for a 2-point Vandy lead. Mast’s board and bucket to re-tie it at 72. 40 seconds. Everyone on their feet, including the four kids and their parents in the row in front of me, making as much noise as possible. Willing Nebraska’s defense to get a stop.

Late shot clock. Tough jumper missed to the left. Sandfort rebound. Ten seconds. All eyes on Pryce, who spotted Frager at the top of the key. Lightning-quick catch and first step. One dribble. 15,000-plus hold their breath.

Thursday was a slow burn. You could have decided it was over at halftime, or when the lead got to 20, or 25. Maybe you guarded your poor, betrayed Nebrasketball heart all the way to the substitutions, taking the starters out.

This was instant delirium. Nebraska took a 74-72 lead with 2.2 seconds to go. This thing was over. Busch Light distributors, please pick up the emergency line. OKC is calling. I high-fived everyone within arms’ reach, including both the parents and the four kids in front of me, who all now knew some fresh catch phrases.

Only a miracle could save Vanderbilt now…

…

…and it was that close. Every time I rewatch Tanner’s 60-foot near miss, I can hear all the exhales in the form of gasps. We all held that breath and expected to release it in an exclamation of joy. That didn’t come out until we all took a second breath. It’s clear as day on the TV broadcast and fan videos I’ve seen.

It was almost a disaster. But it wasn’t. And nobody deserved some good sports luck more than this fan base. Finally, some return on investment.

Cole and Jeff almost immediately after Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt, 72-70, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, sending the Huskers to the Sweet 16. | Cole Stukenholtz

Once it was over, out came the phone. I took a selfie with Jeff, just like I did after No-Sit Sunday. I recorded the players taking a lap around the arena to celebrate with fans. Nobody wanted to leave. When we finally did, about fifteen minutes after the last shot rimmed out, the party was on. Go Big Red chants rang out in every direction as we filed through the concourses and escalators. High fives for everyone. I was so sweaty.

Miraculously, we ran into Matt Knobbe inside the arena. We hugged. We were both tearing up. Sweet-freaking-16!

Cole and Matt - Mr. Husker Hoops Central himself - ran into each other on the main floor concourse after Nebraska's 72-70 win over Vanderbilt, sending NU to the Sweet 16. | Cole Stukenholtz

Outside, we wandered aimlessly for a couple of minutes trying to figure out what to do, who to call, and where to walk. We settled on Fuel, so we started north along with a few thousand delirious red-clad fans. We both started calling people. I hadn’t even checked my texts until this point. Called Dad. Called Mom. Called Alex. I wished they were all there with us.

My former co-host, Matt McMaster, texted me a picture of him and a few friends toasting at an Omaha bar. Having been a Chicago transplant, he got a crash course in Nebrasketball pain over the course of sharing an hour with me every Saturday through two hoops seasons.

Jeff and I walked straight to Fuel, our place from Friday night. Jeff and I each got a drink, finally sat down for the first time in at least three hours, and continued trying to make sense of what we saw. I tried to figure out where other OKC-goers were or where they were going. Highlights of the game came on the TVs. Everyone cheered for Frager’s game-winner, then everyone gasped again at the sight of Tanner’s heave almost going in. The live band played Don’t Stop Believing and Free Bird. The vibe in the bar felt like we all survived a plane crash and lived to tell about it.

Mike Schaefer was on the same block. He was one of my roughly dozen texts and replied to say he was at Lamp Post Lounge, a couple of doors down from Fuel. We finished our drinks and strolled over. Sidewalks were still loaded with Husker fans, some still searching for the perfect postgame party. We had found ours. Schaefer was there with his wife, brother-in-law, and other friends. One of those friends knew my cousin Heath (everybody knows Heath).

Then Chris Basnett and his wife entered. Baz currently writes for Harvest Sports, but from 2016-2022, he was on the Nebrasketball beat for the Journal Star. Outside of Robin Washut and Lee Barfknecht, he has served the longest sentence. His brother, Curtis, was also a fellow 04-05 Abel 10 resident. I mentioned this to Chris’ wife, who immediately took a selfie with me and texted it to Curtis.

There were other random meetings with strangers. Together, we comprised a Husker Hoops “Mos Eisley Cantina” scene, only with fewer blasters and more joy.

The postgame party spread to every establishment in downtown Oklahoma City after Nebraska beat Vandy. Cole found Mike Schaefer (center) and Chris Basnett (left) at Lamp Post Lounge. | Cole Stukenholtz

We bro-hugged, took turns describing our Tyler Tanner-induced near-death experience, did some shots, extolled the virtues of Fred Hoiberg, wondered how the hell all that just happened, made fun of Dan Wolken’s dumb tweet, and, my personal favorite, listened to Kent Pavelka’s call of the final minute and aftermath. Between the loud music and all the people, everyone had to take turns holding my phone up to their own ear. Watching each person hear it, I could see on their face the exact moment they heard KP exclaim, “OH MY GOD, IT’S NO GOOD!” Eyes widened, smiles curled, and tears welled up as KP let it rip. “It was destined to happen!”

This is what did it for me. I’ve been borderline obsessed with the NCAA Tournament since 1998. I could watch a game-winning shot hundreds of times. Give me all the player and coach reactions. The fan reactions, both from the TV broadcast and cell phone videos from their seats. The calls from the various TV and radio play-by-play announcers. Fan watch parties. It was so exciting to see the sheer amazement on their faces, to hear the emotion in their voices.

It was never Nebraska, though. In fact, I never even dreamed it would be. It seemed such a world away, having a good basketball program. My buzzer-beater fix would have to come from other teams.

Now it was finally our turn.

We were living it up.

* * *

Saturday had become Sunday. Around 1 a.m., it was time to trudge back to the hotel. Once we said our Midwest good-byes, Jeff and I hit the still-warm Oklahoma City night. As we turned south onto Joe Carter Avenue, the streetcar whizzed by and came to a stop mid-block. And who stumbled out? Matt Knobbe! Again! Mr. Husker Hoops Central himself. I had been texting with him, and he had his wallet stolen, which limited his postgame nightlife options to places that didn’t card at the door.

I asked him where his hotel was. Incredibly, it was the Sleep Inn across the parking lot from our Country Inn! We had been staying within 100 feet of each other for four days and had no idea. So the three of us kept putting one foot in front of the other, over the train tracks, under the interstate bridges, and across Reno Avenue back to our rooms and beds.

All packed up and with another hotel breakfast in us, we checked out and hit the road back to Lincoln. More texts ensued while we downloaded and listened to a few reaction podcasts to fill the six-ish hours. Tommy Rezac, another former radio co-host of mine, let me know he enjoyed my brief appearance on the I-80 Club’s 3-plus-hour postgame show. I had dialed in to their voicemail line at 12:17 a.m. to leave a triumphant message, not remembering exactly what I had said. Fortunately, it wasn’t embarrassing.

Other than the biting wind and colder air we were unprepared for, the drive home was uneventful. Listening to all the content we could, as well as dreaming about winning again next weekend in the Sweet 16 – that was the cherry on top of the road trip of a lifetime.

* * *

The trip to Houston was not in the cards for me. For those of us who went to OKC and passed the baton to the next wave, who did their best to push the team to the Elite Eight – or even those who went to both – it further solidified the uniqueness and once-in-a-lifetime feeling we had. Who knows when Nebrasketball gets that next taste of NCAA Tournament success? It could be in as little as 11 months from now, but that’s far from a guarantee.

One thing that is guaranteed? The 2025-26 Nebraska men’s basketball team will go down in history. Are they the best in school history? I won’t argue with you if you prefer 1990-91, or even 1995-96. But this year’s bunch has *the* trump card.

They finally did the thing.

Rienk Mast celebrates with Husker play-by-play voice Kent Pavelka after Nebraska's second-round win in the NCAA Tournament over Vanderbilt, 72-70, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday, March 21, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Picked 14th in the Big Ten preseason, and they ended up second. An early-season fringe bubble team found itself in the AP top five. From four wins in The Crown to a four-seed in the Big Dance the next season. The 2025-26 Huskers made themselves immortal. They will forever be that team.

And Oklahoma City will forever be that trip.