Friday Five: This March is madness and historic

History was made this week for Nebraska, and we could easily spend the entire Friday Five recapping just that.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

History was made this week for Nebraska, and we could easily spend the entire Friday Five recapping just that. However, the Huskers had a number of big moments for a number of sports this week that are worth highlighting.

That’s a pretty good place to be, no?

Yes, this will always be the week that men’s basketball finally broke through in the NCAA Tournament. But women’s basketball kept pushing too. And everywhere else, from bowling to track, the program kept stacking results and accolades.

Let’s start where history was made.

Nebraska finally breaks through and does so emphatically

For a program that has spent decades chasing it, Nebraska didn’t just win its first NCAA Tournament game. The Huskers, instead, controlled it.

The 76-47 win over Troy was a decisive one. There were a couple of tense moments early in the game but once Nebraska found its rhythm late in the first half, the game tilted and never really came back.

The turning point came in that final stretch before halftime. Down 15-12 with just over 10 minutes to play, Nebraska flipped the game with a 29-10 run that created separation and, more importantly, confidence. By the time the teams headed to the locker room, the tone had already been set.

Pryce Sandfort made sure of that.

Seventeen of his 23 points came before the break, with five first-half 3-pointers that forced Troy to stretch defensively in ways it clearly wasn’t comfortable doing. Every make seemed to open the floor a little more. Jamarques Lawrence added timely shooting of his own, while Rienk Mast quietly controlled the game with his versatility. He had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists.

Nebraska defended with purpose, holding Troy to 28.3% shooting and forcing 17 turnovers. It won the glass when it mattered, especially early, turning 11 first-half offensive rebounds into a massive second-chance scoring advantage. It moved the ball cleanly—20 assists to just 6 turnovers—and turned mistakes into points.

Now comes the next step. History has been made, but the Huskers aren’t content stopping there. Nebraska will face Vanderbilt on Saturday, March 21.

A different kind of test awaits against Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is not built like Troy. The Commodores don’t overwhelm you with size but they do something Nebraska hasn’t consistently handled this season: they play fast, they shoot a lot and they can score in a hurry.

At 86.3 points per game, Vanderbilt sits among the most explosive offenses in the country. The Commodores spread the floor, fire away from three and rely on their athleticism and tempo to create pressure. Guard Tyler Tanner is at the center of it, coming off a 26-point performance in Vanderbilt’s first-round win.

Nebraska has shown it can dictate pace and control games defensively, but it’s also 1-4 this season against KenPom top-10 offenses. The margin for error shrinks when the opponent can score in bursts.

There is one clear advantage, though, and it has a lot to do with the Sea of Red takeover in Oklahoma City.

“It’s going to be a road game for us,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said after Thursday’s win. “It’s going probably to be 98% their fans in there. I’m used in our league to them chanting, ‘Go Big Blue,’ they’re probably going to be chanting, ‘Go Big Red.’ It’s going to be a road mentality for us.”

Nebraska has turned neutral sites into something closer to home environments before and Oklahoma City is setting up the same way. We’ll see what Saturday brings.

The women’s team keeps pushing forward

After working through the First Four, Nebraska now turns its attention to Baylor in the opening round, a matchup that feels like a real measuring stick. Both teams sit close in the metrics, both bring experience and both have enough scoring to make this uncomfortable if things get loose.

For Nebraska, it starts with Britt Prince.

She leads the team statistically while also setting the tone for how the Huskers want to play. Efficient, controlled and confident, Prince has been one of the most reliable guards in the country this season. Her ability to score without forcing shots, distribute when needed and handle pressure gives Nebraska a foundation that travels.

She isn’t alone, of course. Amiah Hargrove has grown into a consistent scoring and rebounding presence. Jessica Petrie continues to provide stability and production night after night. Logan Nissley stretches defenses with her shooting and Callin Hake brings an edge that doesn’t always show up in the box score but absolutely shows up in games that matter. That balance is what gives Nebraska a chance.

Baylor presents a different style and a different level of physicality but Nebraska isn’t stepping into this matchup hoping to hang around. It’s stepping in with a group that has figured out how to play together, and more importantly, how to respond. We know how much that matters in March.

Bowling keeps stacking wins

Somewhere outside the spotlight of March Madness, Nebraska bowling is doing what it always seems to do and that’s win.

In its first appearance at the Conference USA Championship, Nebraska has already positioned itself in the winner’s bracket semifinals. It hasn’t been effortless, either. The Huskers had to grind through a tight match against Louisiana Tech, responding after dropping a Baker game and finding a way to close it out in a tiebreaker.

It’s one thing to win when everything is clicking. It’s another to adjust mid-match and still come out on top. Nebraska did that Thursday and now it sits among the remaining unbeaten teams in the field.

Next comes Jacksonville State, the top seed, which will be the clearest test yet.

But at this point, Nebraska has already done what strong tournament teams do. It has put itself in position and forced others to deal with it.

Axelina Johansson keeps raising the standard

There are dominant seasons, and then there are careers that redefine what dominance looks like. Axelina Johansson is firmly in the second category.

Being named Big Ten Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Year again is almost expected at this point, which says more about her consistency than anything else. The details still stand out though. A third NCAA indoor title. Another conference championship. A personal best that doubles as both a Swedish national record and an NCAA record.

Johansson is now stacking these big moments, year after year, in a way that leaves very little room for debate about where she stands historically.

And that’s what this week keeps coming back to.

Across different sports, in different environments, Nebraska athletes are finding ways to produce at a high level. Again, that’s a pretty good place to be, no?