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Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly became a March Madness legend against Nebraska on Saturday, March 21, but his potential game-winning halfcourt heave just barely missed and nearly broke the Cornhuskers’ hearts.
Nebraska, already having won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round this season, advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history after its 74-72 win over the No. 5 seed Commodores in Oklahoma City. Tanner’s shot was so shocking in the moment that Nebraska’s players on the floor took a few moments to even process the shot missed.
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“My heart sank as that ball went in the hoop and went out,” Sam Hoiberg said after the game. “I think it took me half-a-second to register that it didn’t go in, and then I just screamed in elation. I thought it was in.”
REQUIRED READING: Nebraska advances to first Sweet 16 in program history, survives Tyler Tanner heave
Braden Frager added: “I had a perfect shot on it from the bench, and I just froze for two seconds. I thought it went in and I didn’t know how to react. Everybody started celebrating and I was like, ‘yeah, he actually missed it.'”
Tanner, a first-team All-SEC selection this season, ended the game with 27 points, four assists and four steals in front of a heavy pro-Nebraska crowd that traveled over six hours for the Cornhuskers’ first-weekend games. When the shot bounced out of the hoop, his Vanderbilt teammates and coaches fell to the court in shock.
Frager’s go-ahead driving layup with 2.2 seconds remaining ultimately led to Nebraska’s historic win amid its best season in program history. The true freshman scored a team-high 15 points off the bench, tied with leading scorer Pryce Sandfort.
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Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said immediately after the game on the TNT broadcast that he couldn’t believe the final shot. Drenched in liquid after the Cornhuskers’ postgame celebration in the locker room, he reflected on the shot again.
“That kid is an unbelievable player,” he said of Tanner. “When that thing was up in the air I was like, ‘Oh, that’s going in.’ Hit every part of the rim, thankfully bounced out and looking…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nebraska-vanderbilt-reacts-tyler-tanners-044553506.html
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Publish date : 2026-03-22 04:45:00
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