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Vanderbilt braces for a ‘road game’ in NCAA Tournament as Nebraska fans flood Oklahoma City

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Vanderbilt braces for a ‘road game’ in NCAA Tournament as Nebraska fans flood Oklahoma City


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington expects a hostile environment when the Commodores play Nebraska on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Byington is well aware of how Nebraska’s fans flooded Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center for a first-round game. A sea of red witnessed history on Thursday as Pryce Sandfort led the fourth-seeded Cornhuskers (27-6) to a 76-47 victory over Troy for their first-ever tournament win.

Byington said his fifth-seeded Commodores (27-8) will need to stay connected and lean on their experience to deal with the atmosphere. The arena is just a six-hour drive from Nebraska’s campus in Lincoln, and Cornhusker fans took advantage by creating a caravan down Interstate 35.

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“I think it’s neutral by name only,” Byington said. “This is going to be a road game. I heard reports. They said it was even better than the home games in Nebraska — the noise, the environment.”

Nebraska entered March Madness as the only team from a power conference without an NCAA Tournament win. Now, the loyal fanbase wants more. Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg believes the crowd could be more intense on Saturday.

“I think it’s going to be maybe even louder, because people are going to be off work and come down for the weekend,” he said. “Yeah, we fully expect to have another amazing crowd, but you can’t rely on that to win a game. You have to still execute and focus on the game plan.”

Vanderbilt, which rallied to defeat McNeese in the first round on Thursday, has faced tough environments this season, and things have not gone well. The Commodores played Southeastern Conference road games against NCAA Tournament teams Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee and came out of those contests with a 1-4 record.

Big Red shenanigans

Hoiberg addressed a Nebraska fan jumping into the Bricktown Canal in downtown Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

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“I saw one guy jumped in the canal last night,” he said. “Yeah, they (Nebraska fans) took over. It’s almost like they didn’t want the day to end, you know? That was fun to see all that stuff, although I’m guessing he got in a little bit of trouble for doing that.”

‘Better and better’

VCU has kept winning since mid-February, including a run through the Atlantic 10 Tournament to get a bid to March Madness and set up its massive comeback from 19 down to beat sixth-seeded North Carolina in overtime. And coach Phil Martelli Jr. had a clear message about what could be ahead for his 11th-seeded Rams (28-7) entering Saturday’s second-round game against Illinois.

“What I told those guys is every time you win in March, the wins feel better and better and better as you go along,” Martelli said. “Last night felt pretty good. Winning the championship felt good. Last night felt a little bit better.

“I told them, if you want to feel a pretty sweet feeling, you go get No. 2 tomorrow.”

That said, the pressing challenge is stopping an offense ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency by averaging 131.7 points per 100 possessions.

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“One thing I know about these guys is they’ve responded to every challenge and they’ll be ready to go,” Martelli said.

The third-seeded Fighting Illini (25-8) faced the least drama of any winner in Thursday’s four first-round games in Greenville, South Carolina. Illinois advanced with a 105-70 win against Penn after shooting 50% and making 15 of 36 3s (.417), while the Illini dominated the glass (48-25) with their size.

“We have so many versatile players on the team that we kind of spaced the floor, and we were able to pick the defense apart with our skill,” guard Andrej Stojakovic said.

This is Illinois’ sixth consecutive NCAA bid. The Illini have failed to reach the second weekend in four of the previous five years, the outlier being a run to the Elite Eight two years ago before falling to UConn on the Huskies’ romp to a second straight national title.

Another Cinderella run?

VCU looks to add to its long history of tournament upsets.

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Illinois is a 10 1/2-point against VCU, favorite according to BetMGM. But VCU has a long history of pulling shockers during March Madness.

In 2011, the 11th-seeded Rams got all the way to the Final Four, defeating No. 3 seed Purdue and No. 1 seed Kansas along the way. In 2007, No. 11 seed VCU knocked off No. 6 Duke in the first round. In 2012, No. 12 VCU defeated No. 5 Wichita State in the first round.

Almost home

Houston is one win from going back home for the Sweet 16.

The Cougars (29-6) will face Texas A&M (22-11) in the second round Saturday in Oklahoma City. If they win, they would then need two wins at the Toyota Center in Houston — just a few miles from campus — to return to the Final Four.

The Cougars have fought the urge to look ahead from the moment the brackets were announced. They looked focused when they rolled past Idaho 78-47 in the first round on Thursday.

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They’ll face a tough Aggies team that defeated Saint Mary’s 63-50 on Thursday.

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AP Sports Writer Aaron Beard contributed from Greenville, South Carolina.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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Endangered Missing Advisory issued for 18-year-old Idaho woman last seen in western Nebraska

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Endangered Missing Advisory issued for 18-year-old Idaho woman last seen in western Nebraska


SIDNEY, Neb. (KOLN) – The Nebraska State Patrol has activated an Endangered Missing Advisory on Sunday night to locate an 18-year-old Idaho woman.

The Middleton Idaho Police Department is attempting to locate Riley Dawn Stevenson. Stevenson is described as a white female, 5′6″, 145 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt, tan pants, tennis shoes and white over-the-ear headphones.

According to a press release from the Nebraska State Patrol, Stevenson is diagnosed with autism with the mental capacity of a 12-14 year-old.

NSP said she was last seen in Sidney, Neb. on Sunday afternoon with a possible destination of Kansas City. The vehicle and route of travel are unknown, but she may be traveling with a second female, according to law enforcement.

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Anyone with information is asked to contact the Middleton Police Department through the Canyon County Idaho Sheriff’s Office at 208-454-7531.

Click here to subscribe to our 10/11 NOW daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Copyright 2026 KOLN. All rights reserved.



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Nebraska cops respond to gunfire at store and find a dog accidentally shot someone

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Nebraska cops respond to gunfire at store and find a dog accidentally shot someone


Police in Nebraska were called to a convenience store after reports of gunfire — only to find a dog accidentally shot a person with a shotgun.

Officers with the Scottsbluff Police Department were called to Short Stop, a gas station and convenience store, after receiving a report that someone had been shot with a BB gun just after noon on Saturday, KNOP News 2 reported.

However, while on their way to the scene, police were informed that the incident actually involved a shotgun.

At the store, police found a truck with damage consistent with a shotgun blast to the passenger side door.

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The driver of the truck had pulled into the parking lot to shop, but a dog in the back seat of their vehicle moved from one side of the car to the other — and managed to cause the loaded shotgun to discharge.

Police in Nebraska were called to a report of a shooting, only to find that a dog accidentally triggered a loaded shotgun
Police in Nebraska were called to a report of a shooting, only to find that a dog accidentally triggered a loaded shotgun (Google Maps)

The shotgun fired off into the passenger side panel of the car. A pellet also struck a woman who was stopped at a nearby traffic light and had her right arm dangling out of the car’s open window.

The pellet from the shotgun struck her in the upper arm, police said.

The woman’s injury was not believed to be life-threatening. She was taken to a nearby hospital by a family member.

It is against the law in Nebraska to travel with a loaded shotgun in a vehicle, according to the report.

The incident is being investigated by the Scottsbluff Police Department.

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Nebraska State Track (5/23): KMAland lands 23 state medals on final day in Omaha

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Nebraska State Track (5/23): KMAland lands 23 state medals on final day in Omaha


(KMAland) — Twelve girls and 11 boys KMAland athletes/events were state medalists on Saturday at the final day of action at the Nebraska State Track & Field Championships in Omaha at Burke Stadium.

Check out the area rundown below and full results linked here. 

BOYS CLASS C 

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Seven KMAland athletes won state medals in Class C with Johnson-Brock’s Calvin Benham (discus throw) and Deacon Bernadt (300 hurdles), Palmyra’s Gannon Hubbard (1600), Owen Ramaekers (1600) and Leyton Mapson (100) and Falls City’s Tanner Jackson (pole vault) all taking individual medals. The Palmyra 4×100 meter relay team also snagged a medal.

Check out the area rundown below.

10. Johnson-Brock (18.33 points)

•5th Place: Calvin Benham, discus throw (162-07)

•7th Place: Deacon Bernadt, 300 hurdles (40.61)

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18. Palmyra (14 points)

•5th Place: Gannon Hubbard, 1600 meters (4:28.92)

•7th Place: 4×100 meter relay (43.71) & Owen Ramaekers, 1600 meters (4:29.68)

•8th Place: Leyton Mapson, 100 meters (11.28)

•10th Place: 4×400 meter relay (3:29.08)

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•17th Place: Tyler Jensen, pole vault (12-00.00) & Grady Vasa, 800 meters (2:01.68)

23. Falls City (11 points)

•6th Place: Tanner Jackson, pole vault (13-06.00)

•9th Place: Caleb Offner, discus (158-11)

34. Johnson County Central (5 points)

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•12th Place: Trevin Huskey, 1600 meters (4:35.69)

Louisville (0 points)

•10th Place: Keegan Witte, 800 meters (2:00.34)

•11th Place: 4×400 meter relay (3:29.29)

•24th Place: Lincoln Heins, 800 meters (2:06.83)

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BOYS CLASS D 

Humboldt-TRS had another solid Saturday with Kameon Dettmann taking second in the 800, and Emmett Glathar finishing in fourth place in the discus. Weeping Water added a pair of medals with Tucker Bickford taking sixth in the 800 and their 4×400 finishing in seventh.

Check out the area rundown below.

13. Weeping Water (15 points)

•6th Place: Tucker Bickford, 800 meters (2:01.40)

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•7th Place: 4×400 meter relay (3:32.92)

16. Humboldt-TRS (13 points)

•2nd Place: Kameon Dettmann, 800 meters (1:58.70)

•4th Place: Emmett Glathar, discus (161-01)

•12th Place: 4×400 meter relay (3:35.78)

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•15th Place: Axton Wamsley, 800 meters (2:05.58)

36. Falls City Sacred Heart (5 points)

•15th Place: Brenden Lemerond, 1600 meters (4:50.68)

•16th Place: Bo Fletcher, 1600 meters (4:51.67)

54. Lourdes Central Catholic (1 point)

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•9th Place: Justus Kreifels, discus (145-06)

GIRLS CLASS C 

Conestoga’s Abigail Harvey led the area with wins in the 800 and 200 wheelchair events while Harley Lubben of Johnson County Central was third in the shot put. Other medalists included JCC’s Molly Webber (100 & 200), Palmyra’s Alaena Hopkins (shot put), the Palmyra 4×400 and Ayla Garrett of Conestoga (triple jump).

Check out the area rundown below.

12. Johnson County Central (22 points)

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•3rd Place: Harley Lubben, shot put (40-02.25)

•5th Place: Molly Weber, 100 meters (12.37) & 200 meters (25.52)

29. Palmyra (5 points)

•6th Place: Alaena Hopkins, shot put (39-03.25)

•7th Place: 4×400 meter relay (4:04.31)

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•15th Place: Hailey Hengtgen, 1600 meters (5:40.25)

•18th Place: Kylie Badertscher, 800 meters (2:26.73)

35. Conestoga (3 points)

•1st Place: Abigail Harvey, 800 wheelchair (3:24.73) & 200 wheelchair (50.14)

•6th Place: Ayla Garrett, triple jump (36-02.00)

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•11th Place: Chloe Bergmeyer, triple jump (35-00.25)

•21st Place: Ayla Garrett, 300 hurdles (50.45)

Johnson-Brock 

•20th Place: Rylie Beethe, 300 hurdles (50.01)

•23rd Place: Leighton Edwards, 800 meters (2:29.12)

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Falls City

•22nd Place: Jennifer Sweeney, 1600 meters (6:19.21)

GIRLS CLASS D 

Humboldt-TRS’ Lillian Bowen led the area with a runner-up in the 800 while Lourdes Central Catholic’s Lily Madison ended up third in the triple jump. The Knights were fourth in the 4×100, and Brooklyn Borer added a fifth-place finish in the 100 hurdles for LCC.

Check out the area rundown below.

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11. Lourdes Central Catholic (20 points)

•3rd Place: Lily Madison, triple jump (36-05.75)

•4th Place: 4×100 meter relay (50.89)

•5th Place: Brooklyn Borer, 100 hurdles (15.84)

•12th Place: Harper Rutt, triple jump (33-11.00) & Brooklyn Borer, 300 hurdles (49.18)

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14. Humboldt-TRS (16 points)

•2nd Place: Lillian Bowen, 800 meters (2:23.47)

•14th Place: Grayson Sherman, 1600 meters (5:44.33)2

34. Weeping Water (4 points)

•11th Place: Kallie Brack, 1600 meters (5:38.16)

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Falls City Sacred Heart (0 points)

•15th Place: Hallie Jones, shot put (34-07.25)

Thank you for reading kmaland.com

At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com.





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