OKLAHOMA CITY — Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points and Nebraska rolled to its long-awaited first NCAA Tournament victory, beating Troy 76-47 on Thursday.
The Cornhuskers (27-6), the No. 4 seed in the South Region, entered March Madness as the only school from a power conference without a tournament win — they were 0-8, with many of the losses coming as the higher seed. Sandfort helped the Huskers end the drought by making seven 3-pointers.
Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence each scored 13 points and Rienk Mast added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Huskers, who will play either No. 5 seed Vanderbilt or 12th-seeded McNeese in the second round on Saturday.
Victor Valdes scored 14 points for 13th-seeded Troy (22-12), the Sun Belt Tournament champion.
Nebraska opened this season on a 20-game win streak and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP Top 25, giving fans hope that this would be the year for a breakthrough. Paycom Center, which seats 18,203 for Oklahoma City Thunder games, was filled with boisterous Nebraska fans. The Lincoln campus is a 6-hour drive away.
Sandfort hit back-to-back 3-pointers 26 seconds apart to put the Cornhuskers up 18-15. He went on to score 17 points in the first half as Nebraska led 41-25 at the break.
Braden Frager's two-handed fast-break dunk pushed Nebraska's advantage to 62-40 midway through the second half. After a 3-pointer by Frager increased the lead to 25, Troy called timeout as Nebraska fans, who had been standing throughout the second half, erupted into cheers.
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