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Nebraska earns first NCAA Tournament win in program history
By David Wasson
Published:
The Nebraska Cornhuskers played anything like a program seeking its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory Thursday afternoon, as the fourth-ranked Huskers dominated 13th-ranked Troy 76-47 in their South Regional first-round game in Oklahoma City.
Nebraska, which was making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance – all since 1986 – in program history, overwhelmed the Sun Belt champs to become the 245th school to win a Division I NCAA tournament game and final power conference school to tally a March Madness victory. The Cornhuskers (27-6) are now 1-8 in NCAA Tournament play.
Pryce Sandfort led the way with 23 points, including seven 3-pointers, in the victory. Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence each scored 13 points and Rienk Mast added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Nebraska, which will play either fifth-seeded Vanderbilt or 12th-seeded McNeese in Saturday’s second round.
Nebraska, which opened this season on a 20-game win streak and was ranked as high as fifth in the AP Top 25, packed the Paycom Center with fans who made the 6-hour drive from Lincoln.
Victor Valdes scored 14 points to lead Troy (22-12), which shot just 28.3 percent from the field and made just 8-of-28 from 3-point range. The Trojans also committed 17 turnovers and were outscored by 16 points in the paint.
An APSE national award-winning writer and page designer, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.