The Huskers Men’s Basketball team punched their first Sweet Sixteen ticket on Sunday, making a historic milestone for the state of Nebraska. Among the many cheerers were Andi Jackson, Harper Murray, and their entire volleyball squad, high up in the air, who lauded the victory with all their might.
The Cornhuskers had entered the NCAA tournament with a 26-6 record, alongside a 15-5 mark in the Big Ten, qualifying them for the NCAA’s March Madness. After beating the Trojans in round one, the Cornhuskers faced the Vanderbilt Commodores and, with a dynamic 74-72 score, created history by advancing to the final 16 bracket.
As they celebrated on the court, the Nebraska women’s volleyball stars cheered for the team from 30,000 feet high. They watched the last few minutes of the game on their phone and as the final seconds unfolded, the cabin erupted with cheers.
Andi Jackson and Harper Murray can also be seen in a glance with tense murmurs and soon burst into cheers along with the team as the men secured the win. Standing at the No. 4 seed, the Cornhuskers are scheduled to face the No. 9-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes on March 26.
Nebraska Huskers React to the Sweet Sixteen Milestone
As Braden Frager secured the win with 2.2 seconds left, the Huskers booked a giant spot for themselves in the history books. During the post-match conference, head coach Fred Hoiberg, along with Sam Hoiberg, Branden Frager, and the rest, spoke about what they felt this victory had given them.
Fred Hoiberg spoke about the team’s resilience despite many setbacks during the game and highlighted their ability to quickly regroup. He said,
Yeah, they were very resilient, and we continued to fight and we got a little frustrated but found a way to regroup, and there was a time-out, and we said, “Look up there, there’s still a lead, and we will get it going,” and then changed up our defense, and they did show a gritty effort,” he said.
Braden Frager also shed light on how he felt about securing the last hoop and highlighted the team effort and the crowd support that went into getting this huge, historic win.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, but it woudn’t have been done without the team, and also the crowd was unbelievable, and they did really got us forward, and the team stuck together,” he said.
The Cornhuskers have now earned the Sweet Sixteen spot to face the regional semifinals, and victory there would garner them a position at the Elite Eight.
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