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Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly became a March Madness legend against Nebraska on Saturday, March 21, but his potential game-winning halfcourt heave just barely missed and nearly broke the Cornhuskers' hearts.

Nebraska, already having won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round this season, advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history after its 74-72 win over the No. 5 seed Commodores in Oklahoma City. Tanner's shot was so shocking in the moment that Nebraska's players on the floor took a few moments to even process the shot missed.

"My heart sank as that ball went in the hoop and went out," Sam Hoiberg said after the game. "I think it took me half-a-second to register that it didn't go in, and then I just screamed in elation. I thought it was in."

REQUIRED READING: Nebraska advances to first Sweet 16 in program history, survives Tyler Tanner heave

Braden Frager added: "I had a perfect shot on it from the bench, and I just froze for two seconds. I thought it went in and I didn't know how to react. Everybody started celebrating and I was like, 'yeah, he actually missed it.'"

Tanner, a first-team All-SEC selection this season, ended the game with 27 points, four assists and four steals in front of a heavy pro-Nebraska crowd that traveled over six hours for the Cornhuskers' first-weekend games. When the shot bounced out of the hoop, his Vanderbilt teammates and coaches fell to the court in shock.

HEARTBREAK FOR VANDERBILT 💔

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, @HuskerMBB IS HEADED TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/u0WSdVjWOu

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 22, 2026

Frager's go-ahead driving layup with 2.2 seconds remaining ultimately led to Nebraska's historic win amid its best season in program history. The true freshman scored a team-high 15 points off the bench, tied with leading scorer Pryce Sandfort.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said immediately after the game on the TNT broadcast that he couldn't believe the final shot. Drenched in liquid after the Cornhuskers' postgame celebration in the locker room, he reflected on the shot again.

"That kid is an unbelievable player," he said of Tanner. "When that thing was up in the air I was like, 'Oh, that's going in.' Hit every part of the rim, thankfully bounced out and looking forward to next week."

Tanner, of course, was broken up by the miss after the game.

"It hurts pretty bad," he said.

Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington added: "We were in an inch away from being in the Sweet 16. It's going to take a while for us to get over."

For Tanner, the shot results in the end of his breakout sophomore season that saw him turn into one of the most dynamic guards in the country. He had a minor role of the bench for Vanderbilt last season, averaging 5.7 points per game before increasing his average to 19.7 per contest in 2025-26.

It could be the end of his college career, as he's projected to go No. 28 overall in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to USA TODAY Sports' latest mock draft. It'd be an end similar to that of Gordon Hayward, whose near-halfcourt make against Duke in the 2010 national championship still lives in college basketball lore.

Nebraska is just happy its unprecedented run is continuing into the second weekend.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska reacts to Tyler Tanner's halfcourt heave: 'I thought it was in'

Kevin Durant continues to move up the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Durant scored 27 points in the Houston Rockets' 123-122 win against the Miami Heat on Saturday, March 21.

He passed Michael Jordan (32,293 points) for fifth place on the list.

Durant is now one of two active players on the list, joining LeBron James. He trails LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant. James is No. 1 on the list with 43,241.

He needs 1,351 points to pass Bryant for fourth on the list.

🚨 KD PASSES MJ 🚨

With this three, Kevin Durant passes Michael Jordan for 5th on the all-time SCORING list! pic.twitter.com/byqx3AFLer

— NBA (@NBA) March 22, 2026

NBA's top 10 all-time leading point scorers

1. LeBron James - 43,241
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 38,387
3. Karl Malone - 36,928
4. Kobe Bryant - 33,643
5. Kevin Durant - 32,293
6. Michael Jordan - 32,292
7. Dirk Nowitzki - 31,560
8. Wilt Chamberlain - 31,419
9. James Harden - 29,160
10. Shaquille O'Neal - 28,596

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hugo Lloris finished with two saves for Los Angeles FC in a record fifth straight shutout to begin a season, and Brad Stuver stopped the only shot he faced for Austin FC in a scoreless draw on Saturday night.

Lloris and LAFC (4-0-1) began the season with four shutout victories, just one of four teams in league history to accomplish the feat. His scoreless stretch of 450 minutes is the longest in league history to begin a season.

Lloris nearly surrendered his first goal of the season in the 63rd minute, but a Myrto Uzuni netter off a corner kick by Facundo Torres was disallowed after Ilie Sánchez was charged with a foul following a video review — and that led to a yellow card on Uzuni.

Neither keeper faced a shot on goal in a scoreless first half.

Austin (1-2-2) swept LAFC last year during the regular season but couldn't get past the Western Conference stalwarts in the playoffs. Both of the club's losses this season have come on the road.

LAFC eliminated Alajuelense on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The club is 7-0-2 so far through all competitions.

LAFC began the day tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps for first place in the hotly-contested West.

Up next

Los Angeles: Hosts Orlando City on April 4.

Austin: Visits Inter Miami on April 4.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Saturday got off to a slow start, but boy did it finish with a bang.

No. 11 seed Texas upset No. 3 Gonzaga, while Nebraska and Vanderbilt slugged it out in a 4-5 classic showdown in OKC.

And we can't forget about No. 12 High Point giving every underdog hope in its late night clash with No. 4 Arkansas in Portland before falling shot.

March Madness scores, highlights: An upset, near-misses alter Sweet 16 bracket

March Madness conference records: Big Ten leads at 11-2; How are SEC, Big 12 doing?

Can Sunday match it? Here's a look at the remaining second round schedule. Which eight teams will round out the Sweet 16?

Luka Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in Saturday’s dramatic 105-104 win over the Orlando Magic, putting the Lakers superstar in line for a one-game suspension as the Lakers take their nine-game winning streak to Detroit on Monday.

Doncic and Magic forward Goga Bitadze were jawing back and forth in the third quarter when Doncic was at the free-throw line. Doncic missed his first free-throw attempt and paused before taking his second, speaking with an official while wagging his finger in the direction of Bitadze.

Doncic said Bitadze told him in Serbian “he’d f— my whole family,” which prompted him to react.

Read more:Luke Kennard sinks last-second three-pointer as Lakers win ninth straight game

“Obviously, I let my team down getting that last tech,” said Doncic, who is hopeful the NBA will rescind the technical. “But honestly, I wasn't trying to. … This is a basketball court. At some point, I just can't stand it. I gotta stand up for myself. But I know I gotta do better. My teammates, I know they have my back, so I let them down today.”

The NBA automatically suspends any player who receives 16 technical fouls during a season. Doncic has reached the threshold two other times, but the NBA rescinded the 16th technical each time, allowing him to avoid suspension.

Bitadze, who is Georgian and played several professional seasons in Serbia, refuted Doncic’s account of the interaction, saying he first heard inappropriate comments from Doncic and only repeated what he heard Doncic say first.

“I'm a fan of his game and don't want to look like it was directed to his family, or anything,” Bitadze said in a phone interview with ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel. “It was just in the heat of the moment. I heard what he said and I felt like I had to respond the same way. So, from my side, if he feels like I said something too much or crossed the line, I apologize as a man. I can take [accountability], but I didn't say anything but what he said. What he came out and said, I don't think that's the truth. I know that's not the truth.”

Crew chief Marc Davis said in a pool report that both players were “assessed technical fouls for their continual taunting of one another.”

“They were both warned to cease their comments directed towards one another between the two free throws,” Davis said. “After the free throw and as the ball entered the frontcourt, they were both correctly assessed technical fouls for their unsportsmanlike comments directed towards one another.”

Officials played a pivotal role in the game that came down to a winning three-pointer from the Lakers’ Luke Kennard with 0.6 seconds remaining. The Lakers trailed by two when LeBron James forced a turnover from Jalen Suggs on an in-bounds pass with 4.7 seconds left. The close play went through several minutes of hawkeye replay on the videoboard that zoomed in on James’ leg and Suggs fingertips. Officials called it Lakers ball in real time. The Magic crowd — announced at 19,597 as the second-largest in Magic history, trailing only last year’s game against the Lakers that drew one more person — was confident that referees would overturn it.

But Davis said in a pool report “there was not clear and conclusive evidence to overturn the on-court ruling.”

Read more:Luka Doncic's 60-point game thrusts Lakers star into middle of MVP debate

Players from both teams were pleading for foul calls most of the game. The Magic and Lakers are first and third in the NBA in free-throw attempts, but the Lakers attempted only nine in the first half. The Lakers finished 19 of 29 from the free-throw line while the Magic were 21 for 23.

“[Officials] didn't have a real good control of that basketball game,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.

Doncic picked up his 15th technical foul of the season against Denver on March 5, putting him on alert for a possible suspension. It was the last time that the Lakers lost before their current nine-game winning streak, which is the franchise’s longest since the 2019-20 season that culminated with their 17th NBA championship.

Doncic has averaged 40 points per game and has shot 40.3% from three-point range during the scorching run. The Lakers climbed from sixth place in the West to third place.

Doncic hit daring fadeaway three-pointers, threw sky-high lobs to teammates and nailed a dramatic winning shot against the Nuggets at home to add cinematic highlights to his budding most valuable player case. On defense, he had five steals against Miami and four more against the Magic.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Nebraska basketball is heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history, winning its second NCAA Tournament game ever in a 3-day span. All it took was a wild game ending in a back-and-forth finish against Mo. 5 seed Vanderbilt.

Commodores guard Tyler Tanner's potential game-winning halfcourt heave at the buzzer bounced off the backboard, went through the rim and somehow bounced out, resulting in the entire Vanderbilt bench falling to the floor in disappointment. Pair that wild ending with Nebraska's electric crowd that traveled over six hours to take over the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, and you get one of the best NCAA Tournament games in recent memory.

This close.... 🤏#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/lEtY7T1WX1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

"I can't believe that last shot," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said on the TNT broadcast immediately after the game. "I'm still shaking. ... I'm speechless. Hell, I don't even know what to say right now."

REQUIRED READING: March Madness live scores, updates: Round 2 highlights, Sweet 16 bracket

Nebraska true freshman Braden Frager scored a team-high 15 points off the bench for the Cornhuskers, including a game-winning driving layup with 2.2 seconds to give his team a 74-72 win on Saturday, March 21. Vanderbilt outscored Nebraska 40-35 in the second half and Tanner scored 27 points with four assists and four steals, but it ultimately wasn't enough to keep Nebraska from making history.

"I said, 'let me get the ball,'" Frager said. "And I go and make a play like I did, like I know I can."

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

NEBRASKA IS IN FRONT 😱 #MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/bHX87XMzCu

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

Vanderbilt took a 70-68 lead with 1:44 left in regulation after AK Okereke nailed a corner 3-pointer. But it was Sam Hoiberg, the son of Nebraska's coach, who instantly responded with a driving layup to tie things back up at 70-70 on the ensuing possession.

Tanner and Rienk Mast traded buckets in the final minute, before Nebraska forced a Vanderbilt stop that led to Frager's game-winning shot.

Nebraska's fanbase showed up in droves for the game, which very well could've been the difference in the game's outcome. "Go Big Red" chants bellowed throughout the arena numerous times in the game, with a sea of red blanketing the seats.

The Cornhuskers have already accomplished their best season in program history in 2025-26 and will look to keep it going against the winner of No. 1 seed Florida and No. 9 Iowa next weekend. One thing's for certain: That Nebraska crowd will be an absolute weapon throughout the rest of its NCAA Tournament run.

"This is special, just absolutely special," Hoiberg said of the fanbase. "Every sport. They do this for every sport, we're very blessed to have a fanbase like this that is so supportive of us all year. It's so unbelievable to be able to share this journey with these guys."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nebraska advances to first Sweet 16 after wild finish vs Vanderbilt

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Corey Camper Jr. finished with a triple-double, Elijah Price posted a double-double and Nevada used a late 11-0 run to beat Liberty 73-63 in the second round of the NIT on Saturday night.

No. 2 seed Nevada advances to the quarterfinals where it will play the winner of Sunday’s second-round matchup between No. 4 seed Seattle University and Auburn, its top-seeded host. Nevada will either travel to Auburn or host Seattle in the quarterfinals.

Camper finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Wolf Pack (24-12). Price totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds. Vaughn Weems, Tayshawn Comer and reserve Joel Armotrading all added 10 points.

Brett Decker Jr. had 20 points to lead the unseeded Flames (26-8). Zach Cleveland pitched in with 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while JJ Harper scored 14.

Nevada led by as many as nine points in the first half, but Decker's 3-pointer in the final minute cut it to 35-31 at halftime.

Price dunked for a tip-in off a rebound to give Nevada its largest lead at 42-31 two minutes into the second half.

Kaden Metheny and Colin Porter hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and Harper followed with a three-point play to cap an 11-0 run that gave Liberty a 54-50 lead with 10 minutes left.

Price hit two free throws to tie it, but Decker answered with a 3-pointer and the Flames led 61-58 with five minutes remaining.

Armotrading, Price and Camper all went 2 for 2 at the foul line, Comer hit a 3-pointer and Price had a layup to finish off an 11-0 run that gave the Wolf Pack an insurmountable 69-61 lead with 1:13 left.

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It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Cleveland Cavaliers did enough in the fourth quarter to erase a 15-point deficit to defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 111-106.

The Cavs found themselves down by double figures late, mostly due to their offense stalling out in the second and third quarters. Donovan Mitchell going 2-9 from the field in that span had a lot to do with that.

For better or worse, the Cavs have gone as Mitchell has. They’ve struggled when he has, and they’ve won games when he’s excelled.

On the season, the Cavs are 21-9 when Mitchell scores 30 or more points and 12-1 when Mitchell totals 35 or more. Conversely, they’re 5-4 without him and 6-10 when he plays and finishes with 21 or fewer points.

That was the case once again. When Mitchell turned it around late, so did the Cavs. He provided 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, which included icing the game with an and-one layup with less than five seconds left.

Despite the strong ending, it’s fair to acknowledge that Mitchell is in a slump, particularly with his outside shot.

Before February, Mitchell was connecting on 38.4% of his 9.8 threes per game. Coming into Saturday’s game, he’s been converting just 28.4% of his 7.3 three-point attempts per game since that time

I don’t believe this is something to worry about long-term.

Mitchell is an elite shooter. We know he will break out of the funk he’s in, and going 3-8 from deep with one of those coming at the start of the fourth quarter to help turn around momentum is a good start in doing so.

Additionally, he’s still finishing in the paint, which is still what he does best as a scorer. Since February — when his outside shot abandoned him — Mitchell has converted 69% of his looks at the rim (71st percentile) and 54% of his shots in the short midrange (71st percentile) while still getting to the line at a high clip.

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Speaking of slumps, Dennis Schroder is really going through it right now.

He hasn’t registered more than 10 points in a game since the March 3 win over the Detroit Pistons. In the eight games since, Schroder is averaging 4.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 turnovers while shooting just 32.3% from the floor and 23.1% from three. That’s not ideal.

This game was no different. Schroder once again couldn’t get his shot to go as he tallied just a single point while going 0-4 from the field, which included an aired three-point attempt.

The Cavs could use a stabilizing ball handler off the bench. Unfortunately for Cleveland, Schroder hasn’t been that over the last two weeks. It’s fair to wonder if he still has a place in the playoff rotation.

Max Strus was once again in the closing lineup. So far, he’s been in the closing group for all four games he’s played, even though he hasn’t shot the ball particularly well since his debut last Sunday.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson has mentioned there being a “comfort level” with Strus, given their history together. Jarrett Allen’s return could presumably make one less spot in the closing group. As of now, it seems like Atkinson is going to close with two of Allen, Strus, and Sam Merrill.

James Harden and Evan Mobley are continuing to get more comfortable with their two-man game. Harden assisted Mobley off of rolls to the basket twice and passed to him twice more on plays on which he was fouled. Each of those plays can be seen below.

The timing of the pass on these actions is really important. Based on how things looked this time around, they’re more on the same page.

Merrill said after the game that it’s taken him time to get used to Harden’s passess because “ he likes the late pass and sometimes likes the real early pass.” The actions with Mobley are different, but you can see some of what Merrill is saying.

Harden is going to find unconventional windows. The second pass in the clip above is a great example of that as the pass is maybe a second later than what you’d sometimes expect. However, waiting that split second longer gives Mobley a cleaner look at the basket. In this instance, Mobley was ready for that pass to come when he might not have been previously.

Harden has stolen Mitchell’s patented over-the-head gather move.

It didn’t look as pretty as Mitchell’s, but it still led to a basket. Also, I like how Harden used the gather to bring the ball to his right side, but still went up with the left.

Mitchell and Harden continue to be on the same page in the fourth quarter. The duo combined to score 25 of Cleveland’s 35 points, with both taking eight shots in the final period.

Like most ball-dominant pairings, there’s a bit of “your turn, my turn” to their game, but not in a bad way. The two have shown a great awareness of how to best attack the defense, gotten the ball to the person who had it going, and spaced the floor well if the play broke down.

That’s an effective strategy when both players are this good at attacking off the catch and lethal in isolation.

The Cavs have consistently had a great offense when these two share the floor. Coming into this game, the Cavaliers have registered a blistering 127.8 offensive rating (99th percentile) and a 9.1 net rating (89th percentile) when both are on the court. Those numbers are only going to improve after their close to this game.

Things can become more difficult when the game slows down in the clutch. But as of now, the great offense they’ve produced all game has carried over perfectly to late-game situations. That’s incredibly encouraging with the playoffs less than a month away.