Nebraska men’s basketball is officially going dancing for the ninth time in program history.
The Huskers are the 4 seed in the South Region. They’ll open with Sun Belt champion Troy on Thursday in Oklahoma City. The game will tip at 11:40 a.m. CDT on TruTV.
Below is Nebraska’s path, the full tournament schedule, and pre-tournament predictions for Nebrasketball’s games.
- Nebrasketball’s Path
- NCAA Tournament Schedule
- Predictions
- Nebraska Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Schedule
Nebrasketball’s Path
Nebraska (26-6) was the 13th-overall seed in the tournament. They’ll get Troy (22-11) on Thursday, opening as a 13.5-point favorite.
Should the Huskers get past the Trojans, they would face the winner of the 5-seed Vanderbilt (26-8) and the 12-seed McNeese (28-5).
Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
The highest seed that Nebraska could see in the Sweet 16 would be the 1-seed Florida. The Elite Eight could feature a rematch with the 3-seed Illinois or the 2-seed Houston, among others.
The South Region is matched up with the East Region. That’s where the No. 1 overall seed Duke resides. The top seeds there are UConn (2), Michigan State (3), and Kansas (4).
The top seeds in the West Region are Arizona (1), Purdue (2), Gonzaga (3), and Arkansas (4). The top seeds in the Midwest Region are Michigan (1), Iowa State (2), Virginia (3), and Alabama (4).
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
NCAA Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, March 17 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)
- (16) UMBC vs. (16) Howard
- (11) Texas vs. (11) NC State
Wednesday, March 18 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)
- (16) Prairie View A&M vs. (16) Lehigh
- (11) Miami (Ohio) vs. (11) SMU
Thursday, March 19 (First Round/Round of 64)
- (1) Michigan vs. TBD
- (1) Duke vs. (16) Siena
- (2) Houston vs. (15) Idaho
- (3) Illinois vs. (14) Penn
- (3) Gonzaga vs. (14) Kennesaw State
- (3) Michigan State vs. (14) North Dakota State
- (4) Nebraska vs. (13) Troy
- (4) Arkansas vs. (13) Hawai’i
- (5) Vanderbilt vs. (12) McNeese
- (5) Wisconsin vs. (12) High Point
- (6) North Carolina vs. (11) VCU
- (6) BYU vs. TBD
- (6) Louisville vs. (11) South Florida
- (7) Saint Mary’s vs. (10) Texas A&M
- (8) Georgia vs. (9) Saint Louis
- (8) Ohio State vs. (9) TCU
Friday, March 20 (First Round/Round of 64)
- (1) Arizona vs. (16) Long Island University
- (1) Florida vs. TBD
- (2) Iowa State vs. (15) Tennessee State
- (2) Purdue vs. (15) Queens
- (2) UConn vs. (15) Furman
- (3) Virginia vs. (14) Wright State
- (4) Alabama vs. (13) Hofstra
- (4) Kansas vs. (13) Cal Baptist
- (5) Texas Tech vs. (12) Akron
- (5) St. John’s vs. (12) UNI
- (6) Tennessee vs. TBD
- (7) Kentucky vs. (10) Santa Clara
- (7) Miami (Fla.) vs. (10) Missouri
- (7) UCLA vs. (10) UCF
- (8) Villanova vs. (9) Utah State
- (8) Clemson vs. (9) Iowa
Rest of the Tournament
- Second Round: Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22
- Sweet 16: Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27
- Elite Eight: Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29
- Final Four: 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 4 on TBS at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
- NCAA championship game: 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 6 on TBS at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
Predictions
Nebraska has struggled against teams with size that can overpower the rebounding battle. The Huskers won’t have to worry about that against the Trojans. Nebrasketball cruises to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Vanderbilt was rolling through the SEC Tournament before running into Arkansas in Sunday’s title game. They should handle McNeese, even with Aura Khan making his return to March Madness.
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg and forward Pryce Sandfort. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
At one time, Nebraska and Vanderbilt were among the few remaining unbeatens. Since then, the two added several losses to enter the tournament as the 4 and 5 seeds in the same region.
The Commodores pressure the ball to create shot blocking and steal opportunities. The Huskers have struggled against teams that control the paint, but this could also lead to more fouls being called if NU can get Jamarques Lawrence or Braden Frager to drive more and draw contact.
Give me Nebraska to get its first two NCAA Tournament wins in program history and advance to the second weekend.
Top-seeded Florida is likely waiting in the Sweet 16 for Nebraska. The defending national champions dominate the paint and the glass, but don’t shoot well from deep. I’m picking the Gators to eliminate the Huskers here, but if Nebraska can keep Florida out of the paint and force more three-pointers than usual, an upset isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Jamarques Lawrence. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
At the end of the day, beating Troy will get a monumental monkey off the program’s back. Advancing to the second weekend would be icing on the cake for an already great season. Anything beyond that, and you have officially shocked the nation for what this program can do on the hardwood.
Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to [email protected].
Nebraska Men’s Basketball 2025-26 Schedule
- Oct. 18 Nebraska 90, BYU 89
- Oct. 27 Nebraska 91, Midland 50
- Nov. 3 Nebraska 86, West Georgia 53
- Nov. 8 Nebraska 96, Florida International 66
- Nov. 11 Nebarska 69, Maryland-Eastern Shore 50
- Nov. 15 Nebraska 105, Oklahoma 99 (Sanford Pentagon)
- Nov. 20 Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72 (Hall of Fame Classic)
- Nov. 21 Nebraska 86, Kansas State 85 (Hall of Fame Classic)
- Nov. 25 Nebraska 80, Winthrop 73
- Nov. 29 Nebraska 72, South Carolina Upstate 63
- Dec. 7 Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
- Dec. 10 Nebraska 90, Wisconsin 60
- Dec. 13 Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
- Dec. 21 Nebraska 78, North Dakota 55
- Dec. 30 Nebraska 86, New Hampshire 55
- Jan. 2 Nebraska 58, Michigan State 56
- Jan. 5 Nebraska 72, Ohio State 69
- Jan. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77
- Jan. 13 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55
- Jan. 17 Nebraska 77, Northwestern 58
- Jan. 21 Nebraska 76, Washington 66
- Jan. 24 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57
- Jan. 27 Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
- Feb. 1 Illinois 78, Nebraska 69
- Feb. 7 Nebraska 80, Rutgers 68
- Feb. 10 Purdue 80, Nebraska 77
- Feb. 14 Nebraska 68, Northwestern 49
- Feb. 17 Iowa 57, Nebraska 52
- Feb. 21 Nebraska 87, Penn State 64
- Feb. 25 Nebraska 74, Maryland 61
- Feb. 28 Nebraska 82, USC 67
- March 3 UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
- March 8 Nebraska 84, Iowa 75
- March 13 Purdue 74, Nebraska 58 (Big Ten Tournament)
- March 19 vs. Troy 11:40 a.m. TruTV (NCAA Tournament)
Home games are bolded. All times central.
