Celebratory Chaos: You Might’ve Missed The Best NCAA Tourney Game, As Nebraska Survived Vanderbilt's Prayer

In what might turn out to be the best game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Nebraska won a heavyweight fight against Vanderbilt by near inches. 

You might have fallen asleep on Saturday night, given the lack of dramatic games that took place during the second round for most of the day. 

But, for those that made it until near midnight on the East Coast, we had the privilege of watching Vanderbilt and Nebraska put on a show for college basketball fans that will surely make the annual ‘One Shining Moment’ reel to end the season. 

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Unfortunately, there have been a number of duds that have plagued this postseason. A number of games could've been turned off at halftime, and you wouldn't have missed much at all. 

But, inside the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City that looked more like Nebraska's own arena, we were treated to a game that will be remembered for quite some time. Over 15,000 Conrhusker fans invaded the city, turning this into a road game for the Commodores, though that didn't seem to faze the team from Nashville. 

What we got in return for staying up and pushing through our eyelids barely staying open was pure ecstasy. 

Over the final 90 seconds, both teams traded punches like we were watching Ivan Drago square-off against Rocky Balboa in Russia. 

It was Nebraska's Braden Frager who would drive the basket and put in the contested layup, leaving Vanderbilt only 2.6 seconds to either win the game or send it to overtime. 

Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner Almost Makes Generational Shot

After taking a timeout to set up a play, the Commodores needed a quick shot to potentially send the game into overtime. 

Given that the clock was not working in their favor, Tyler Tanner took the inbound and got to half-court before throwing up a prayer. 

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As an arena full of Nebraska fans looked on, with millions around the country watching from home, Tanner's shot did just about everything it could besides actually touch the bottom of the net. 

Inches away from going in, just one swirl away from Vanderbilt punching its ticket to the Sweet-Sixteen, the ball took one final twist and Nebraska fans released a joyous roar that could probably be felt at least a mile away. 

I know those watching from home, myself included, were in disbelief at just how close the Dores were to winning what was essentially an NCAA Tournament road game. 

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I know we have all seen some pretty incredible scenes from college towns across America after a big win. 

But for the first time in program history, Nebraska is headed to the Sweet 16, while also winning just its second NCAA Tournament game at the same time. 

So, it was fair to think that Cornhuskers across the country were losing their minds in celebration of the historic win. While the party might have started in Oklahoma City, the reactions streaming onto social media were something to behold. 

Unbelievable: You Might Have Missed The Best NCAA Tourney Game, As Nebraska Survived Vanderbilt's Prayer  (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Besides the Cornhuskers, college basketball fans were the winners this weekend thanks to these two teams. 

If Vanderbilt versus Nebraska turns out to be the best game we see over the next two weeks before the Final Four, I will obviously be disappointed, but at least these two teams left us with a feeling of jubilation for college basketball. 

Thank you, Cornhuskers and Commodores. We needed that.