OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Tyler Tanner nearly sent Nebraska's boisterous fans home in stunned silence.
Braden Frager made a driving layup with 2.2 seconds left to put Nebraska in front, and Tanner's heave from beyond half court rimmed out at the buzzer as the Cornhuskers outlasted Vanderbilt 74-72 on Saturday night in a scintillating second-round NCAA Tournament game and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time.
March Madness, indeed.
“I just froze for two seconds,” Frager said. “I thought it went in. I didn’t know how to react. I was, just — everybody started celebrating. I was like, he actually missed it.”
The relieved Cornhuskers celebrated in style, climbing into the stands to join a sea of scarlet-and-cream-clad fans. Some were still chanting “Go Big Red!” inside Paycom Center 30 minutes after Nebraska's victory.
“That’s one of the best environments or toughest environments that I’ve ever coached in,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “The fans were incredible for them. Supportive and loud.”
Frager scored off a pass from Pryce Sandfort, the team’s scoring leader. Each finished with 15 points for the fourth-seeded Cornhuskers (28-6), who had never won in March Madness until beating Troy two days ago. Nebraska advances to the South Region semifinals in Houston, where it will face either top-seeded Florida or ninth-seeded Iowa on Thursday.
“I think they’re all driving down to Houston in the morning,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said of the Husker faithful. “We expect another big turnout again next weekend.”
Tanner scored 27 points and Tyler Nickel added 16 for No. 5 seed Vanderbilt (25-9), which was trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007.
“The hardest thing when you’re in a tournament like this is there’s a side of it with hurt and dejection, and you put everything into it,” Byington said. “We were a play away, an inch away, from being in the Sweet 16.”
Rienk Mast added 13 points for the Huskers. Sam Hoiberg, the coach's son, finished with eight points, none bigger than his putback with 1:20 to go that tied the game at 70-all. The teams traded the lead four times over the final 2:08.
Cornhuskers fans took over the arena, just like they did in the first round. “Husker Power!” chants broke out during the second half of Houston's win over Texas A&M, about an hour before the Nebraska game tipped off.
Duke Miles, the Commodores’ No. 2 scorer, had his left thumb taped and was held to nine points. His quiet night put the scoring burden on Tanner, whose layup with 58 seconds left gave Vanderbilt its final lead at 72-70.
The Cornhuskers broke out to an 8-0 lead. Mast, Nebraska’s 6-foot-10, 250-pound center, made two 3-pointers in the first five minutes.
Sandfort did not score until just over five minutes remained in the first half, but his turnaround jumper put the Cornhuskers up 27-19. Nebraska led 39-32 at halftime, despite Tanner’s 15 points.
Vanderbilt chipped away in the second half. Tanner made a layup and was fouled with 9:05 remaining. He missed the free throw, preventing the Commodores from taking their first lead. Moments later, AK Okereke’s 3-pointer finally put Vanderbilt ahead, 58-55.
Vandy pulled in front 67-62, its largest lead of the game, on a 3 by Nickel with 5:34 left. Sandfort responded with a jumper and the margin was no bigger than three points the rest of the way.
“We withstood their run,” Fred Hoiberg said. “They went on a big run. We knew they would at some point in the game. As we talked going in this tournament, if you want to advance, it’s all about how you handle adversity, and our guys did a masterful job of hanging in there.”
Hoiberg, the Big Ten coach of the year, has overseen steady improvement over his seven years at Nebraska. He took the Huskers to the NCAA Tournament two years ago, and this season Nebraska got national attention for a 20-0 start that vaulted it to No. 5 in the AP poll.
Former Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts, who now holds that title at Texas A&M, stuck around to watch his alma mater after the Aggies lost to Houston. Alberts won the Butkus Award in 1993 as a linebacker for the Huskers.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
