Nebraska Makes History, Reaches First Sweet 16 with Last-Second Victory Over Vanderbilt

Fourth-seeded Nebraska secured its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance with a thrilling 74-72 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday night. Braden Frager hit the game-winning layup with just 2.2 seconds remaining in Oklahoma City.

Saturday night in Oklahoma City delivered March Madness at its finest as fourth-seeded Nebraska claimed a historic 74-72 victory over fifth-seeded Vanderbilt, punching their ticket to the program’s inaugural Sweet 16 appearance.

The dramatic finish came when Braden Frager connected on a crucial layup with only 2.2 seconds showing on the clock. Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner, who led all scorers with 27 points, launched a desperate three-point attempt from beyond midcourt as the final buzzer sounded, but the shot struck both rims before bouncing away, sending the Nebraska-heavy crowd at Paycom Center into celebration.

Frager and teammate Pryce Sandfort each contributed 15 points for the Cornhuskers (28-6), who now await either top-seeded Florida or ninth-seeded Iowa in Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup in Houston. Those two teams will square off Sunday evening in Tampa to determine Nebraska’s opponent.

The Commodores received additional scoring from Tyler Nickel, who finished with 16 points. Vanderbilt (27-9) mounted a second-half comeback by converting 10 of their 22 three-point attempts. Tanner’s basket in the paint gave the Commodores a 72-70 advantage with 58 seconds left, but Mast evened the score at 37 seconds when he converted Sam Hoiberg’s missed layup attempt.

No. 2 Houston 88, No. 10 Texas A&M 57

Emanuel Sharp poured in 18 points as the Cougars used a devastating 18-0 first-half run to overwhelm the Aggies in Oklahoma City, securing their spot in the Sweet 16.

Chris Cenac Jr. contributed 17 points and nine rebounds while Milos Uzan chipped in 15 points for Houston (30-6), which will meet third-seeded Illinois in next week’s Sweet 16 round in Houston. Mercy Miller added 12 points as the Cougars achieved their fifth straight 30-victory season and extended their Sweet 16 streak to seven consecutive years.

Josh Holloway provided the lone double-digit scoring effort for Texas A&M (22-12) with 12 points coming off the bench. Star player Rashaun Agee managed just seven points in the defeat. Houston shot 44.1% from the field and dominated the boards 46-29, including 19 offensive rebounds.

No. 3 Illinois 76, No. 11 VCU 55

Andrej Stojakovic erupted for 16 first-half points en route to a 21-point performance, leading the Fighting Illini to a comfortable victory over the Rams in Greenville, South Carolina.

Tomislav Ivisic recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (26-8), which advanced to just its second Sweet 16 in the past 21 seasons. The Fighting Illini will face second-seeded Houston on Thursday in Houston. Keaton Wagler contributed 14 points and Kylan Boswell added 12 as Illinois won its opening two tournament games by a combined margin of 56 points.

Terrence Hill Jr. paced VCU (28-8) with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward each scored 11 points. The Rams struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 7 of 32 three-point attempts (21.9%) in the decisive loss.

WEST REGION

No. 11 Texas 74, No. 3 Gonzaga 68

Matas Vokietaitis and Jordan Pope each tallied 17 points, while Camden Heide delivered a clutch three-pointer with 14.7 seconds remaining to propel the Longhorns past the Bulldogs in Portland, Oregon.

Following a Gonzaga dunk by Graham Ike that cut the deficit to one point, Texas called timeout with 32 seconds left and inserted Heide, whose corner three-pointer extended the lead to 72-68. Mario Saint-Supery’s last-ditch three-point attempt for Gonzaga (31-4) missed the mark, and Vokietaitis sealed the victory with a layup for Texas (21-14), making them the first First Four participant to win three tournament games since UCLA’s 2021 Final Four run.

West Coast Conference Player of the Year Ike finished with 25 points, and Jalen Warley recorded 10 points, eight rebounds, and five assists for the Bulldogs.

No. 4 Arkansas 94, No. 12 High Point 88

Darius Acuff Jr. exploded for 36 points and Meleek Thomas added 19 as the Razorbacks ended the Panthers’ tournament run with a late surge in Portland, Oregon.

Acuff scored nine of Arkansas’s final 11 points as they broke away from an 83-83 deadlock in the closing three minutes, overcoming a 30-point effort from High Point’s Rob Martin. Billy Richmond III posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Malique Ewin recorded 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Razorbacks (28-8), winners of seven straight and nine of their last 10. Ewin’s free throws with 44.4 seconds left made it 92-85.

Cam’Ron Fletcher scored 25 points and narrowly missed his third consecutive double-double by two rebounds, while Terry Anderson contributed 15 points for High Point (31-5), whose 15-game winning streak ended after capturing the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory on Thursday.

EAST REGION

No. 1 Duke 81, No. 9 TCU 58

Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his team-leading 19 points after halftime to guide the Blue Devils past the Horned Frogs in Greenville, South Carolina.

Isaiah Evans contributed 17 points and Dame Sarr scored 14 for Duke (34-2), which earned a Sweet 16 meeting with the winner between fourth-seeded Kansas and fifth-seeded St. John’s. Boozer also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds while Maliq Brown finished with 12 points and nine boards for the Blue Devils, who outscored TCU by 19 points in the second half.

Micah Robinson topped TCU (23-12) with 18 points, followed by Xavier Edmonds with 12. The Horned Frogs were outrebounded 42-25 overall, including a 24-14 disadvantage in the second half.

No. 3 Michigan State 77, No. 6 Louisville 69

Coen Carr recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds, Jeremy Fears Jr. tallied 12 points with 16 assists, and the Spartans stifled the Cardinals to reach the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo.

Fears established a new Michigan State NCAA Tournament record for assists while Carr nearly matched his career scoring high for the Spartans (27-7). Michigan State advances to the East Region semifinal in Washington, D.C., where they’ll face the winner of seventh-seeded UCLA versus second-seeded UConn.

Louisville’s leading scorer Ryan Conwell battled through a left foot injury in the second half and appeared to lack his usual mobility. Conwell managed 21 points and connected on 5 of 11 three-point attempts for the Cardinals (24-11).

MIDWEST

No. 1 Michigan 95, Saint Louis 72

Yaxel Lendeborg scored 25 points on efficient 9-of-13 shooting as the Wolverines pulled away from the Billikens in Buffalo, New York.

Morez Johnson Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds for Michigan (33-3), which secured a Sweet 16 date with either Texas Tech or Alabama. Aday Mara contributed 16 points, and Elliot Cadeau scored 12 points while dishing out a team-best eight assists.

Amari McCottry led Saint Louis (29-6) with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Dion Brown finished with 13 points, and Robbie Avila added nine points in the loss.