The No. 4 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers beat the No. 13 seed Troy Trojans 76-47 on March 19, 2026, at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City in the first round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

The victory marked the first NCAA tournament win for Nebraska, which entered the game with an 0-5 all-time record across five prior appearances in 1986, 1998, 2008, 2014 and 2024.[1][2]

Nebraska's previous tournament result was a 98-93 first-round loss to Texas A&M on March 21, 2024.[3] In 2014, the Cornhuskers fell 74-60 to No. 6 seed Baylor in the first round.[4]

Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points for Nebraska, including 17 in the first half on 5-of-8 three-point shooting. Jamarques Lawrence added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, while reserve Braden Frager also scored 13 points.

Troy shot 28% from the field (13-of-46), including 8-of-28 from three-point range.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg rested starters late in the second half with a large lead. The Cornhuskers advance to the second round to face Vanderbilt, which defeated McNeese State.

Paycom Center hosted first- and second-round games for the 2026 tournament.

Sources

1. NCAA, Division I Men's Basketball Tournament History - Nebraska, accessed October 2024, https://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d1/alltime?team=Nebraska
2. Wikipedia, Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball (stable biographical facts), accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_Cornhuskers_men%27s_basketball#NCAA_Tournament_results
3. ESPN, Texas A&M 98, Nebraska 93 - Box Score, March 21, 2024, https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401581707
4. ESPN, Baylor 74, Nebraska 60 - Box Score, March 20, 2014, https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/400473700