Nebraska
Football: No. 4 Buckeyes aim to bounce back against Nebraska
The Buckeyes storm out before their game against Iowa Oct. 5. Now, they prepare to face Nebraska Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes are hoping to get back on track this weekend and avoid the infamous “trap game” — a game that separates two likely top-five matchups.
No. 4 Ohio State will welcome Nebraska to Columbus Saturday for a noon contest. The Cornhuskers are fresh off a disappointing, 49-point beat down at the hands of undefeated Indiana.
The point spread favors Ohio State by nearly 25 digits against the Cornhuskers, meaning bettors would need the Buckeyes’ margin of victory to be more than 25 to win their bet, according to most major sportsbooks.
Many key storylines will surround Nebraska’s freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who previously committed to Ohio State during his initial recruitment process.
Throughout his first seven collegiate games, Raiola has thrown for 1,592 yards, which places him at No. 6 in the Big Ten with nine touchdowns and six interceptions.
“I think he’s got an opportunity to be a great player,” head coach Ryan Day said about Raiola. “I think he’s already playing at a high level; he’s got a lot of talent.”
Defensively, Nebraska is led by two veteran senior defensive linemen in Nash Hutmacher and Ty Robinson, both of whom earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors in 2023.
In his sixth collegiate season, Robinson leads the Cornhuskers in tackles for loss and is tied for a team-high four sacks.
But the Nebraska defense won’t feel too unfamiliar for Buckeyes graduate quarterback Will Howard.
The Cornhuskers defense is similar to what Howard has previously faced at Kansas State, before he transferred to Ohio State this season.
Howard said he knows Ohio State will be hungry for a win after its blowout loss last week, and he’s ultimately focusing on his own squad.
“They got some young guys that are doing some good things,” he said. “It’ll be fun; it’ll be a good challenge back at home, and [we can] get the ball back rolling again.”
Nebraska
What Troy coach Scott Cross said after first-round loss to Nebraska
Troy coach Scott Cross met with the media following his team’s 76-47 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The victory was the first NCAA Tournament win in Nebraska basketball history.
The Huskers were led by Pryce Sandfort, who scored 23 points in the victory. The former Iowa Hawkeye shot 7-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-12 from the 3-point line. Rienk Mast contributed 13 points and 6 rebounds in the win.
Advertisement
As a team, the Huskers shot 25-of-65 from the field, 14-of-39 from the 3-point line and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Troy shot 13-of-46 from the floor, 8-of-28 from beyond the arc and 13-of-14 from the charity stripe.
Cross told the press that while the defeat was difficult to take, he knows his team won’t let this season be defined by this one loss.
“Thank you for being here. I would like to thank the good Lord for the opportunity to just have your guts absolutely ripped out. It stinks, but I told our guys in the locker room, they’re not defined by this basketball game.”
Troy entered the NCAA Tournament on a four-game winning streak after earning the regular-season and tournament titles in the Sun Belt Conference. Cross acknowledged that this Nebraska team is one of the best teams he’s seen in his over 25 years of coaching.
“They played an amazing team. Nebraska is one of the best teams. I’ve been doing this since 1998. They’re really, really freaking good. The way they shoot the basketball and the way they defend, watching it on video, you’re, like, man, there’s no openings as you watch it on video.”
Nebraska and Vanderbilt will play on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
Advertisement
Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Troy coach Scott Cross said after first-round loss to Nebraska
Nebraska
How to buy Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska 2026 March Madness tickets
No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys in the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Vanderbilt eliminated McNeese by a score of 78-68 on Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma City. McNeese took the lead early in the first half, but Vanderbilt came back in the second half in a close, back-and-forth game.
Now, Vanderbilt will face off against the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second round at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City on Saturday, March 21.
Here is everything you need to know in order to buy Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska March Madness basketball second round tickets.
Shop Vanderbilt vs. Nebraska March Madness tickets
When is March Madness 2026?
The First Four tipped off the 2026 March Madness tournament on Tuesday, March 17. The two rounds run between Thursday, March 19 and Sunday, March 22. The tournament concludes with the Final Four on Saturday, April 4 and the National Championship game on Monday, April 6.
Vanderbilt March Madness next opponent
Vanderbilt earned a No. 5 seed in the South regional. They defeated McNeese in its opening game and have advanced to the Round of 32, where they will play the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers. Tickets to Vanderbilt’s Round of 32 game start at $193.
Vanderbilt March Madness basketball tickets
Limited Vanderbilt NCAA Tournament tickets are still available for the Round of 32. Get your Vanderbilt March Madness tickets now.
Shop Vanderbilt basketball tickets
Vanderbilt March Madness schedule
After defeating McNeese on Thursday, No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores will take on No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, March 21. The tipoff time for that game is still to be determined. Shop Vanderbilt Round of 32 tickets now.
More March Madness: Everything fans need to know about the 2026 NCAA Tournament
Vanderbilt March Madness game locations
Vanderbilt will play their Round of 32 game at Paycom Arena in Oklahoma City on Saturday, March 21.
Limited tickets for the Round of 32 March Madness in Oklahoma City are available. Shop your Vanderbilt NCAA Tournament tickets now.
Vanderbilt Sweet 16 tickets
If the Commodores were to advance to the Sweet 16, they’d travel to they’d travel to Houston, Texas. Sweet 16 tickets in Houston are already available starting at $207.
Shop Vanderbilt basketball tickets
March Madness 2026 full schedule for the men’s tournament
- April 6: National Championship
- March 19-20: First round
- March 21-22: Second round
- March 26-27: Sweet 16
- March 28-29: Elite 8
- April 4-5: Final Four
Shop ALL March Madness tickets
Nebraska
Has Nebraska won an NCAA Tournament game? Cornhuskers’ March Madness history
SGA’s cousin, Troy guard Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow, braces for March Madness
Troy guard Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow, the cousin of Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, goes through practice drills ahead of Troy’s first round matchup with Nebraska on Thursday in Paycom Center.
Nebraska men’s basketball is amid an historic season in 2025-26, earning a program-best No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s unprecedented territory for the Cornhuskers, who have never experienced success in March Madness.
Literally.
Seventh-year coach Fred Hoiberg didn’t make the NCAA tournament with Nebraska until his fifth season with the program in 2023-24. The Cornhuskers missed the big dance again last season, although they won the inaugural College Basketball Crown championship before winning 20 consecutive games to start the 2025-26 season.
No. 13 seed Troy, who’s making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, won’t be an easy out. Nebraska will also certainly be looking to lift some historical blunders off its shoulders with a win.
Here’s what to know of Nebraska’s NCAA Tournament history:
Has Nebraska ever won an NCAA Tournament game?
Nebraska is the only Power conference program to have never won a Men’s NCAA Tournament game, and has its best chance in program history to win its first when it faces Troy in the first round on Thursday, March 19.
It’s the Cornhuskers’ ninth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, having last made the field in 2024. Nebraska lost to Texas A&M 98-83, despite being a No. 8 seed against the No. 9 Aggies in the first round.
Hoiberg said March 18 that he hasn’t addressed the program’s NCAA Tournament history leading up to the game, and that he doesn’t plan to. He did note, however, that there’s pressure involved with the game.
“I know the first question is going to be Nebraska has never won a tournament game,” Hoiberg said. “We realize that. Have I talked to our players about it? No, I haven’t. They know. They see it. Is there a pressure that goes along with that? Of course there is.”
Hoiberg’s son, Sam Hoiberg, is one of Nebraska’s top players. He also addressed what it would mean for the school to win a March Madness game.
“That’s what I’ve been dreaming of since I became a player in this program,” Sam Hoiberg said. “That’s the only thing left to do is get that tournament win. It’s the unsaid thing in every single room, is we don’t have a tournament win. So being able to do it as a senior would be pretty cool.”
Nebraska NCAA Tournament history
- 2024: No. 9 Texas A&M 98, No. 8 Nebraska 83
- 2014: No. 6 Baylor 74, No. 11 Nebraska 60
- 1998: No. 6 Arkansas 74, No. 11 Nebraska 65
- 1994: No. 11 Penn 90, No. 6 Nebraska 80
- 1993: No. 7 New Mexico State 93, No. 10 Nebraska 79
- 1992: No. 9 UConn 86, No. 8 Nebraska 65
- 1991: No. 14 Xavier 89, No. 3 Nebraska 84
- 1986: No. 8 Western Kentucky 67, No. 9 Nebraska 59
-
Detroit, MI2 days agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Oklahoma6 days agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Nebraska1 week agoWildfire forces immediate evacuation order for Farnam residents
-
Georgia4 days agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts community colleges to launch apprenticeship degree programs – The Boston Globe
-
Alaska5 days agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Colorado1 week ago‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now
-
Southwest1 week agoTalarico reportedly knew Colbert interview wouldn’t air on TV before he left to film it