Vanderbilt sophomore Tyler Tanner was a friendly bounce away from NCAA Tournament immortality.
5-seed Vanderbilt trailed 4-seed Nebraska 74-72 in the closing seconds of their South Regional matchup at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. With 2.2 left on the clock and no timeouts remaining, Vanderbilt needed a miracle to advance to the next round of March Madness.
The Commodores nearly got one off the fingertips of Tanner, who launched a desperation heave from well behind the halfcourt line that went halfway down and out. The ball hit off the backboard and rattled around the ring three times before rolling off the cylinder.
TYLER TANNER WITH AS CLOSE TO A HALF COURT BUZZER BEATER THAT YOU WILL EVER SEE 🤯
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 22, 2026
ABSOLUTE HEARTBREAKER FOR VANDY 💔pic.twitter.com/GR4GiTSD2k
Vanderbilt’s bench had the perfect view to witness just how close the team was to advancing to the Sweet 16 on Tanner’s shot. Several of them fell to the floor in agony amid the roller coaster of emotions they must have felt in the split second the teased going in the rim.
Here’s another angle of the shot.
This close…. 🤏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/lEtY7T1WX1
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026
The slow-motion replay showed the ball legitimately entering the hoop. Had Tanner’s shot been a tiny bit softer, the Commodores would have been the ones dancing toward a Sweet 16 appearance.
Instead, the Cornhuskers survived the type of score only March Madness can bring. The win was only Nebraska’s second-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament. The first one came on Thursday against Troy.
