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.

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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.

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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: What Troy coach Scott Cross said after first-round loss to Nebraska