Nebraska's history in March Madness

USA Today

20-03-2025

Nebraska's history in March Madness
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have a complicated history with the NCAA tournament. They have made eight appearances in school history and hold a record of 0-8. The Huskers are the only power conference school that has never won a tournament game.
The Huskers have had postseason success. They have appeared in 19 National Invitation Tournaments and hold a record of 24-18, including the 1996 NIT Championship.
Nebraska has four retired numbers in program history: Tyronn Lue, Stu Lantz, Dave Hoppen, and Eric Piatkoski. Lue is also the only former Husker basketball player to have won an Olympic medal. He won a Gold Medal as an assistant coach of the U.S. Men's Basketball Team in the 2024 Paris Games.
Find Nebraska's history in the NCAA tournament by scrolling below.
1986 - Loss to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The 1986 NCAA tournament was the first appearance in school history. They played as the No. 9 seed in the Southeast region. In the first round, they faced the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who defeated Nebraska 67-59. It was the final game in Moe Iba's tenure as the Huskers head coach. Following the defeat, he resigned.
1991 - Loss to the Xavier Musketeers
It was the biggest upset in Nebraska's postseason history. The Huskers received an at-large bid after falling to Missouri in the Big Eight Championship Game and entered the tournament as a No. 3 seed. It would be the first of four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska would fall to the No. 14 seed Xavier Musketeers 89-84. Xavier would fall to No. 11 Connecticut in the regional quarterfinals.
1992 - Loss to the Connecticut Huskies
The Huskers entered the '92 tournament, losing six of their last nine games, and were given a No. 8 seed in the southeast region. They would face the No. 9 UConn Huskies in a game that was never competitive, and the Huskers lost 86-65.
1993 - Loss to the New Mexico State
Nebraska entered the NCAA tournament for the third straight year, looking for their first tournament victory in program history. They entered March as the No. 10 seed in the East region and faced the No. 7 seed and overall No. 24 in the country, the New Mexico State Aggies. Nebraska failed to play a competitive game for the second straight year and lost to the Aggies 93-79. New Mexico State was later forced to vacate their 1993 NCAA appearance due to academic fraud.
1994 - Loss to the Penn Quakers
The Huskers entered the 1994 NCAA tournament after winning the Big Eight tournament, the only conference tournament championship in program history. They entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East region and faced the No. 11 seed, the Penn Quakers. The Quakers would defeat Nebraska in the first round by a score of 90-80. That game was the last time that Penn won an NCAA tournament game.
1998 - Loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks
The Cornhuskers returned to the NCAA tournament after a three-year absence as the No. 11 seed in the West region with a showdown against the No. 6 seed and the No. 17 ranked team in the nation, the Arkansas Razorbacks. Nebraska would fall in round one 74-65. That game was the final NCAA tournament appearance of Nebraska head coach Danny Nee, who would depart the program following the 1999-2000 season.
2014 - Loss to the Baylor Bears
The Huskers entered the 2014 NCAA tournament as the No. 11 seed in the West region and faced the Baylor Bears, the No. 6 seed and the No. 23 ranked team in the country. Nebraska failed to play a competitive game and lost 74-60. The game was the only tournament appearance Tim Miles would make as head coach of the Huskers.
2024 - Loss to the Texas A&M Aggies
After a ten-year absence, Nebraska made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament under head coach Fred Hoiberg as the No. 8 seed in the South region and faced the No. 9 seed Texas A&M Aggies. The Huskers would fade late in the game and fall to the Aggies 98-83.
Nebraska is still looking for their first NCAA tournament victory.