3 takeaways as Nebraska beats Vanderbilt to reach the Sweet 16

Nebraska basketball and Sweet 16. Those are words you thought you might never hear in the same sentence.

But after a wild finish in Oklahoma City that included a game-winning shot by Braden Frager with 2.2 seconds left, as well as the near-half-court make from Vanderbilt, Nebraska basketball won its second NCAA Tournament game of the week with a 74-72 victory over the Commodores.

The win, just the second in program history in the big dance, sends the Huskers to the Sweet 16 for the first time.

Frager scored 15 points off the bench. He was tied for the team high with Pryce Sandfort. Rienk Mast added 12. Berke Buyuktuncel pitched in with 12, while Sam Hoiberg had eight, including the second biggest offensive rebound and put-back in Nebraska basketball history — only Mast’s to tie the game at 72-72 was bigger.,

Vanderbilt was incredible. Tyler Tanner nearly broke the heart of Husker nation. He had 27 points total, and here are three takeaways from the best win Nebraska has ever had.

Braden Frager was the X-factor

You could feel a big game coming from Frager. You need guys to do something special to advance in the NCAA Tournament, and when Sandfort had a tough time getting open, it was up to Frager to step up, which he did.

The Huskers have only lost once this season when Frager has scored in double figures. He made 6 of 11 shots. One of those was a massive 3-pointer as Vanderbilt was trying to pull away, getting up by as many as five points.

He also scored the game-winning bucket by cutting to the basket. He did that throughout the game, and the Lincoln native ended up being the hometown hero.

(Frager ran around the gym high-fiving people after).

Nebraska’s defense did the trick

Vanderbilt took advantage of 11 offensive rebounds and nailed 13 3-pointers to nearly outscore Nebraska, but the Huskers did a commendable job. The Commodores shot 41 percent.

Holding top-10 offense to 41 percent isn’t easy to do. Vanderbilt was ranked 8th coming in via KenPom. Nebraska’s defense struggled to get stops in the second half, but after Fred Hoiberg switched to a zone late, the Huskers strung together just enough stops to win the game.

Great defenses get stops when it really matters. Nebraska did that with 10 seconds left. That’s how you win games in March, something Nebraska is getting used to doing.

A night Nebraska basketball fans will remember forever

Damnit, if there wasn’t a tear rolling down my eye watching the players celebrate with the fans after the game.

These guys deserved this. The players deserved it, but so did the fans. Nebraska basketball fans have suffered for decades without enjoying something like this.

Fred Hoiberg’s team has 28 wins, two NCAA Tournament wins, and will play Iowa or the defending national champions for a berth in the Elite 8.

With every win, this program reaches new heights. Who knows how long this run will go on?

For now, we can just bask in the glory of what is probably the greatest night in Nebraska basketball history — at least until next week.

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