LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Whenever Pryce Sandfort stops by the downtown Chipotle to grab a bite, someone in line will ask to take a picture with him and offer congratulations on what so far has been the greatest of all Nebraska basketball seasons.
Invariably, Sandfort also gets the same question his teammates and players of the past have been asked: Will this be the year the Cornhuskers' curse is broken?
All Sandfort can do is smile and say he hopes so.
For all the firsts this season has brought — the 20-0 start, top-five ranking and most conference wins, to name a few — there is one still out there yet to be accomplished that hangs over the program like an albatross.
Nebraska is the only school in a power conference that has never won a game in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers are 0-8 on the sport's biggest stage.
“It’s definitely a thing,” said Sam Hoiberg, the fifth-year senior starting guard and son of coach Fred Hoiberg. “It’s not like we don’t talk about it. Everybody knows it.”
The Huskers (26-6) will make their ninth appearance in March Madness on Thursday when they play Troy (22-11) in the first round in Oklahoma City. They're the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and 13.5-point favorites against their 13th-seeded opponent from the Sun Belt Conference, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Fans accustomed to having hope turn to heartbreak will find no comfort in the fact No. 4 seeds are 127-33 in the round of 64. After all, the Huskers were a No. 3 seed in 1991 and lost to No. 14 Xavier.
The Huskers' most recent attempt at a breakthrough came in 2024. They lost 98-83 to Texas A&M. Current players Sam Hoiberg, Rienk Mast, Jamarques Lawrence and Cale Jacobsen were on that team and hope the experience serves them well.
“I remember just thinking we were going to win because we wanted it more,” Sam Hoiberg said of the A&M game. “We’re the team without the tournament win, only Power Five team without one, you know. You feel that once you get to that position, you’re going to be so desperate it’s going to fall into your hands. That’s not the case.”
Fred Hoiberg, who took the last four of his five Iowa State teams to the NCAA Tournament from 2012-15, said winning in the tourney requires sharing the ball, making simple plays, communication on the court, getting back in transition and not giving up easy baskets.
Dad's point is well taken, Sam said.
“You just have to do everything in your power to prepare the best you possibly can because you only get one chance at this,” he said. “Especially for Rienk and I, being seniors, it’s our last chance to get this tourney win for this program. I think we’re bringing that urgency and trying to spread that to the rest of the team.”
Nebraska started the season on a heater. The Huskers carried momentum from winning the inaugural Crown postseason tournament in Las Vegas in April, and their streak grew to 24 games following their 20-0 start. They are 6-6 since and coming off a first-round blowout loss to eventual champion Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament.
“The Big Ten Tournament got away from us against Purdue, but guess what? They're playing pretty damn good,” Fred Hoiberg said.
The Huskers are healthy and will be well-rested with five days since their last game when they play Troy.
Undoubtedly, how this special Nebraska season will be remembered hinges on whether the Huskers end the curse. A win certainly would make Sandfort's interactions with those fans at Chipotle, good as they are now, even better.
“It would really suck,” he said, "if we weren’t able to get that first win.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
