No. 4 Nebraska defeats No. 5 Vanderbilt in thriller to reach NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

Nebraska held off Vanderbilt in a tightly contested second-round game on Sunday, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and eliminating the Commodores in a finish that came down to the final two minutes. The Cornhuskers, seeded fourth, entered the game with a real threat on the other side: Vanderbilt was a five-seed that had beaten a 12-seed comfortably in the first round and brought a 25-8 regular season record into the bracket. This was not a comfortable win for Nebraska. It was a game they had to earn possession by possession.

Nebraska is in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2014. The program, which spent most of the past decade as one of the more disappointing programs in the Big Ten relative to the resources and recruiting base available, has been rebuilt under head coach Fred Hoiberg into a team that competes consistently in a deep conference. Reaching the second weekend of the tournament is the program's clearest indicator in over a decade that the rebuild has produced something real.

How the game was decided

Vanderbilt led by three with 2:08 remaining. Nebraska guard Juwan Gary made a pull-up jumper with 1:51 on the clock to cut it to one. Vanderbilt's Jalen Stute missed a step-back three on the next possession, a shot he had made at a 38.4% clip during the season. Nebraska's Brice Williams grabbed the rebound, pushed in transition, and converted at the rim while drawing the foul with 57 seconds left. The and-one free throw gave Nebraska a two-point lead that Vanderbilt could not overcome.

Vanderbilt had two more possessions to tie or take the lead. Their first ended in a turnover when guard Jason Rivera lost his dribble under pressure from Nebraska's full-court defense. The second ended with a contested mid-range attempt from forward Liam Robbins that rimmed out with four seconds remaining. Nebraska inbounded the ball, Gary was fouled intentionally, made both free throws, and the game ended 71-67.

Nebraska's key performers on Sunday

Brice Williams led Nebraska with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting and added 7 rebounds in 35 minutes. He has been the Cornhuskers' most consistent offensive performer throughout the tournament and has looked comfortable operating in the mid-post against Big Ten and SEC defenses alike. Juwan Gary contributed 14 points and the two late free throws that closed the game out, and he was Nebraska's most effective perimeter defender through most of Vanderbilt's offensive sets in the second half.

Nebraska shot 43.2% from the field overall and 9-of-24 from three-point range, a below-average performance by their own standards this season. Their three-point percentage during the regular season was 36.8%, which would have produced considerably more separation against Vanderbilt's perimeter defense if they had shot at that rate. That they won while shooting 37.5% from deep suggests their interior efficiency and late-game execution made the difference when their shooting failed to create comfortable margins.

Vanderbilt's season ends and what it means for their program

Vanderbilt finishes 25-9, their best record since the 2018-19 season when they went 9-23. Head coach Jerry Stackhouse has been gradually improving the Commodores within the SEC, a conference where consistent success for non-football-primary programs requires sustained recruiting commitment. Getting a five-seed in the 2026 tournament and winning a first-round game before losing to a four-seed in a two-possession final stretch is a result Vanderbilt can build on, even if the late-game execution fell short on Sunday.

Vanderbilt's leading scorer this season, guard Paul Lewis, finished with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting but was held scoreless in the final six minutes of the game. Nebraska's defensive scheme switched to a box-and-one coverage specifically designed for Lewis with 6:30 remaining, which limited his touches in the half-court and forced Vanderbilt into a more distributed offensive approach that their role players could not sustain when they needed baskets late.

Nebraska's Sweet Sixteen matchup and what comes next

Nebraska will face No. 1 seed Auburn in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday, March 26 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Auburn finished the regular season ranked second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom, allowing 88.4 points per 100 possessions. The Tigers have yet to allow more than 61 points in their first two tournament games, winning by 18 and 22 respectively. Nebraska's offense, which ranked 34th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency during the regular season, will face the most difficult defensive assignment of their tournament run.

Coach Hoiberg addressed the Auburn matchup briefly in his post-game press conference Sunday, saying only that preparation would begin Monday morning and that the team would spend the first 24 hours focused on recovery. Nebraska's practice session at State Farm Arena in Atlanta is scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, the day before the Sweet Sixteen tip-off.