Has Nebraska won an NCAA Tournament game? Cornhuskers' March Madness history
Has Nebraska won an NCAA Tournament game? Cornhuskers' March Madness history
Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORKThu, March 19, 2026 at 10:05 AM UTC
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Has Nebraska won an NCAA Tournament game? Cornhuskers' March Madness history
Nebraska men's basketball is amid an historic season in 2025-26, earning a program-best No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It's unprecedented territory for the Cornhuskers, who have never experienced success in March Madness.
Literally.
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Seventh-year coach Fred Hoiberg didn't make the NCAA tournament with Nebraska until his fifth season with the program in 2023-24. The Cornhuskers missed the big dance again last season, although they won the inaugural College Basketball Crown championship before winning 20 consecutive games to start the 2025-26 season.
No. 13 seed Troy, who's making its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, won't be an easy out. Nebraska will also certainly be looking to lift some historical blunders off its shoulders with a win.
Here's what to know of Nebraska's NCAA Tournament history:
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VCU Rams (27-7)VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. A matchup against No. 6 North Carolina in the first round, before a potential matchup against No. 3 Illinois, sets up the Rams as well as an 11-seed can be set up.
Has Nebraska ever won an NCAA Tournament game?
Nebraska is the only Power conference program to have never won a Men's NCAA Tournament game, and has its best chance in program history to win its first when it faces Troy in the first round on Thursday, March 19.
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It's the Cornhuskers' ninth-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, having last made the field in 2024. Nebraska lost to Texas A&M 98-83, despite being a No. 8 seed against the No. 9 Aggies in the first round.
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Hoiberg said March 18 that he hasn't addressed the program's NCAA Tournament history leading up to the game, and that he doesn't plan to. He did note, however, that there's pressure involved with the game.
“I know the first question is going to be Nebraska has never won a tournament game,” Hoiberg said. “We realize that. Have I talked to our players about it? No, I haven’t. They know. They see it. Is there a pressure that goes along with that? Of course there is.”
Hoiberg's son, Sam Hoiberg, is one of Nebraska's top players. He also addressed what it would mean for the school to win a March Madness game.
“That's what I've been dreaming of since I became a player in this program,” Sam Hoiberg said. “That's the only thing left to do is get that tournament win. It's the unsaid thing in every single room, is we don't have a tournament win. So being able to do it as a senior would be pretty cool.”
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Nebraska NCAA Tournament history -
2024: No. 9 Texas A&M 98, No. 8 Nebraska 83
2014: No. 6 Baylor 74, No. 11 Nebraska 60
1998: No. 6 Arkansas 74, No. 11 Nebraska 65
1994: No. 11 Penn 90, No. 6 Nebraska 80
1993: No. 7 New Mexico State 93, No. 10 Nebraska 79
1992: No. 9 UConn 86, No. 8 Nebraska 65
1991: No. 14 Xavier 89, No. 3 Nebraska 84
1986: No. 8 Western Kentucky 67, No. 9 Nebraska 59
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska March Madness history: Have Cornhuskers ever won NCAA Tournament game?
Source: “AOL Sports”
