Braden Frager drove for the winning layup with 2.2 seconds left Saturday night and fourth-seeded Nebraska rallied for a 74-72 win over fifth-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region in Oklahoma City.
The result wasn’t secured until the Commodores’ Tyler Tanner, who scored a game-high 27 points, barely missed a 3-point shot from beyond halfcourt as time expired. Tanner’s heave hit the glass and bounced out after hitting both the front and back rim, causing a gasp and then a wild ovation from the pro-Cornhusker crowd inside Paycom Center.
“That last shot, man, it just took my breath away,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said after the win. “(Tanner) is an unbelievable player. When that thing was up in the air. I was, like, oh, man, that’s going in. Then hit every part of the rim. Thankfully bounced out. We’re looking forward to next week, getting the opportunity to continue to compete.”
“We were a play away, an inch away, from being in the Sweet 16,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington added. “It’s going to take a while for us to get over, but I think it’s going to be a point that we’re going to look back and think of the unbelievable journey this season has been. … But this one hurts.”
Frager and Pryce Sandfort each scored 15 points for Nebraska (28-6), which will play either top-seeded Florida or No. 9 Iowa Thursday in Houston in its first Sweet 16 appearance in program history. The Gators and Hawkeyes match up on Sunday night in Tampa.
Rienk Mast added 13 and Berke Buyuktuncel contributed 12 points for the Cornhuskers, who converted 29 of 52 field-goal attempts, including 9 of 19 from the 3-point line.
Tyler Nickel added 16 points for Vanderbilt (27-9), which rallied in the second half by canning 10 of 22 3-pointers. Tanner’s layup gave the Commodores a 72-70 edge with 58 seconds remaining but Mast equalized with 37 seconds on the clock by tipping home Sam Hoiberg’s missed layup.
The game featured wildly contrasting styles. Vanderbilt sought to speed Nebraska up with pressure and the Cornhuskers attempted to carve up the Commodores with precise halfcourt execution.
In the first half, it was Nebraska’s halfcourt sets that ruled, even though the Commodores were able to force seven turnovers in 31 possessions. The Cornhuskers were able to overcome the high turnover rate by drilling 15 of 25 field goals, including 6 of 10 3-pointers.
Mast connected on 3 of 4 first-half 3-point attempts, helping Nebraska open up a 31-21 lead at the 3:59 mark. Vandy got a little traction later in the half but still headed for the break looking at a 39-32 deficit.
Tanner kept the Commodores in contention with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting before intermission.
–Field Level Media
