3 takeaways from Nebraska’s historic NCAA Tournament win

This is the day Nebraska basketball fans have been waiting for.

Husker fans swarmed to Oklahoma City, just like Nebraska swarmed Troy on the court for its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, 76-47.

Pryce Sandfort set the tone. He hit three 3-pointers around the midway point of the first half that gave Nebraska the lead. He hit seven total, scoring 23 points. The Huskers hit 14 3-pointers. Troy made 13 field goals.

That sums up what happened. The Trojans shot 28 percent from the field. They were 5-of-18 on twos, and had 17 turnovers, while Nebraska had 20 assists.

Nebraska dominated the boards, attacked the rim, shared the ball, and defended like one of the best teams in the country, which it is.

The Huskers have the No. 7 adjusted defense, according to KenPom. If the offense gets going, this team will be a tough out, and Thursday was a tremendous start.

It was also a history-making win. Good for Fred Hoiberg.

Here are three takeaways.

This win was about defense

Nebraska left no doubt because of what they did on the defensive end. Even if Pryce Sandfort struggled, hell, even if he didn’t score a point, the Huskers still would have won.

It’s rare to hold a college basketball team under 50 points. Nebraska did just that in an NCAA tournament game. The score was 15-12 at one time, Troy. After that, the Trojans scored just 32 points.

The Huskers held them to just six rebounds and stole the ball 10 times. Troy got to the free-throw line 14 times (13 makes); otherwise, they wouldn’t have scored 40.

Pryce cemented his Nebraska basketball legacy

When we talk about the best players in Nebraska basketball history, Pryce Sandfort has to be in the conversation. He’s only played one season in Lincoln, but he was First-Team All-Big Ten and is the best player on the best team in program history.

Sandfort broke the school record for 3-pointers this season. He made more than any other player in the Big Ten. He was part of two top-10 wins this season and scored 23 points, with seven treys in the first NCAA Tournament win Nebraska has ever had.

Sandfort made five from beyond the arc in the first half. It was the kind of run from Nebraska was haven’t seen in a while, and this was the kind of game Nebraska fans will never forget.

The atmosphere was insane

Every player, coach, and broadcaster said the same thing: That Thursday in Oklahoma City was the loudest they had ever heard a first-round game. Some in the media compared it to an Oklahoma City Thunder playoff game.

It certainly gave Nebraska boost. The Huskers thrived on it. Nebraska fans made sure that it wasn’t going to be a neutral court, and it won’t be on Saturday for the round of 32 game against Vanderbilt or McNeese State.

Either way, you have to like Nebraska’s chances. They have momentum after that win. Confidence is an incredible thing during tournament time. The Huskers can feed off that, and the energy in the building.

And now that monkey is off their back, they are playing with house money.

Nebraska basketball and Sweet 16 weren’t words you thought you would ever hear in the same sentence, but here we go. In about 48 hours, the Huskers will be playing for a berth in the Sweet 16.

Nebraska has the best fans, and they got rewarded with something special on Thursday.

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