Nebraska gets its first NCAA Tournament win, beating Troy 76-47 behind Pryce Sandfort's 23 points

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Finally, Nebraska has a happy March Madness memory.

Pryce Sandfort scored 23 points and the Cornhuskers rolled to their long-awaited first NCAA Tournament victory, beating Troy 76-47 in what looked and sounded like a Nebraska home game on Thursday.

Paycom Center, which seats 18,203 for Oklahoma City Thunder games, was filled with boisterous red-clad fans who chanted “Husker Power!” and “Go Big Red!” while standing nearly from start to finish. The school's campus in Lincoln is just a 6-hour drive away.

“I knew it was going to be a home-court advantage for us,” guard Sam Hoiberg said, “but just the energy they bring — you could tell that was a desperate crowd, desperate for a tournament win, and we were a desperate team, so it worked well together.”

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.

“I hit a couple early,” Sandfort said. “I felt really locked in in warmups. I give credit to my teammates, coaches putting me in the right spots, giving me the ball on time, on target. That’s what really got me going, and that’s what it is every game.”

Nebraska opened the season on a 20-game win streak and was ranked as high as No. 5 in the AP Top 25, giving fans hope that the Huskers could break through in March. Nebraska will try to keep the run going on Saturday, when it plays either No. 5 seed Vanderbilt or 12th-seeded McNeese.

Braden Frager and Jamarques Lawrence each scored 13 points and Rienk Mast added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds for the Huskers.

Victor Valdes scored 14 points for 13th-seeded Troy (22-12), the Sun Belt Tournament champion.

“I would like to thank the good Lord for the opportunity to just have your guts absolutely ripped out,” Troy coach Scott Cross said. “It stinks, but I told our guys in the locker room, they’re not defined by this basketball game. They played an amazing team.”

Sandfort hit back-to-back 3-pointers 26 seconds apart to put the Huskers up 18-15. He went on to score 17 points in the first half as Nebraska led 41-25 at the break.

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 erupted.

Players presented Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg with a game ball in the locker room.

“Just really proud of these guys,” coach Hoiberg said. “Happy to get this win for the first one in the history of the program. Most wins in a single season in the history of the program. But we can’t be satisfied.”

Shortly after the final buzzer, several players ran over to celebrate with longtime Nebraska radio voice Kent Pavelka.

The 76-year-old Pavelka started calling Nebraska basketball games in 1974 and has done so in some capacity for most of the years since.

“It’s hard to put it into words, really,” he said of the victory. “I’m kind of numb, actually. I wondered all year long — I’ve wondered for 50 years what it would feel like. And now, it’s a lot to process.”

Pavelka said he was touched that the players acknowledged him.

“I put my heart into this and they know that,” he said. “And so it’s nice to know that they appreciate that.”

Nebraska turned in its best defensive effort of the season. The Cornhuskers allowed a season-low point total and held the Trojans to an opponent-low 28.3% shooting.

Troy made 13 of 46 field goals and 8 of 28 3-pointers. Forward Thomas Dowd, who had averaged 14.8 points, scored four on 1-for-11 shooting.

Pryce Sandfort’s brother, Payton, made his NBA debut for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night at Brooklyn. He made it back in time to attend Pryce's game. Pryce had said Wednesday that he didn’t expect Payton to make it.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness