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A decade in The Vault: Remembering Nebraska's top-10 moments through 10 years at PBA

Robin Washut profile picby: Robin Washut11/05/23RobinWashut
NCAA Basketball: Wisconsin at Nebraska
Nebraska fans storm the court after the Cornhuskers defeated No. 9 Wisconsin 77-68 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. (PHOTO: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports)

When Nebraska tips off its 2023-24 season on Monday night against Lindenwood, it will mark 10 years since Pinnacle Bank Arena became the Huskers’ home.

While there have been plenty of ups and downs for NU men’s basketball over the past decade, here are 10 of our favorite moments at The Vault so far…

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March 9, 2014: No-Sit Sunday

Forget the past 10 years; Nebraska’s 77-68 win over No. 9 Wisconsin to close out the 2013-14 regular season was one of the highlights in program history.

In what was essentially a win-and-in for the Huskers to make the NCAA Tournament, Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields dropped 26 points each to lead NU to the upset. The scene before, during, and after the game was unforgettable, as the school-record 15,998 fans in attendance never sat from tip-off to the final buzzer.

Nebraska went 15-1 at home that season and punched its first ticket to the Big Dance since 1998.

November 8, 2013: The official debut of PBA

Technically, the 2013-14 opener against Florida Gulf Coast wasn’t Nebraska’s first game at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers hosted an exhibition vs. UNK four nights earlier.

But no one in the sell-crowd will forget the first matchup at PBA that actually counted.

Shields led the way with 28 points as NU was up by as many as 34 before finishing off a 79-55 rout of Florida Gulf Coast. That was the Eagles’ first game since becoming the first 15-seed to advance to the Sweet 16 during their “Dunk City” NCAA Tournament run.

December 8, 2018: Tim Miles finally beats Creighton

There was no greater thorn in former Nebraska head coach Tim Miles’ side than in-state rival Creighton. Heading into its home matchup vs. the Bluejays in 2018, Miles’ Huskers had lost seven straight in the series.

That skid ended in emphatic fashion, as NU rolled the Jays 94-75 in a game it controlled throughout. James Palmer Jr. hit six 3-pointers for a game-high 30 points, as Nebraska shot a blistering 14-of-27 from behind the arc.

For Miles, that win also ended a 15-game career losing streak against Creighton head coach Greg McDermott.

January 18, 2018: “WAG-NER!” Huskers throttle No. 23 Michigan

Nebraska’s 2018-19 season was full of highlights, and its 72-52 beatdown of No. 23 Michigan ranked near the top of the list.

Palmer scored 19 points while Isaiah Roby added a then-career-high 14 to lead the Husker to their first-ever win over the Wolverines. NU took control early and led by double-digits for the final 17 minutes to hand Michigan its most lopsided loss in five years.

Husker fans also got after UM forward Franz Wagner (pronounced Vogner), filling PBA with chants of “Wag-ner! Wag-ner!” in the closing minutes. The win was especially sweet considering Michigan had won the previous season’s matchup 93-57, marking Nebraska’s worst home loss in program history.

March 10, 2019: Thor blocks Bohannon in OT win over Iowa

In what would be Miles’ final regular-season game at PBA, Nebraska closed out its 2018-19 campaign with a memorable finish.

Trailing by nine with 50 seconds left in regulation, the Huskers made their final nine shots to send the game to overtime. A layup by Amir Harris put NU up by two with 10.8 remaining in OT, and then Thorir Thorbjarnarson sealed the 93-91 win by blocking a last-second 3-pointer by Jordan Bohannon.

Behind just an eight-man rotation, Palmer scored 27 while Roby and Glynn Watson – who hit a whopping seven 3-pointers – both had 23. Fans stormed the court and gave Miles and his team a rousing ovation for a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season.

January 29, 2017: Unlikely trio leads upset of No. 20 Purdue

Many of the best wins over the last decade feature Nebraska’s usual top players. That wasn’t necessarily the case in its 83-80 upset over No. 20 Purdue in 2016-17.

Jack McVeigh (21) and Jeriah Horne (16) combined for 37 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Michael Jacobson, who needed an IV at halftime due to a stomach illness, scored the go-ahead put-back with 42 seconds left.

Watson sealed the win with a steal and two free throws to put NU up four with 10.5 seconds left. Nebraska got 39 points from its bench, but the real outlier was it outrebounded the Boilermakers 40-35, including 15-11 on offensive boards.

January 16, 2018: Palmer’s buzzer-beater to beat Illinois

Three nights before its aforementioned blowout of Michigan, Nebraska went down to the wire in a must-win home game vs. Illinois.

The Fighting Illini went on a 6-0 run in the game’s final 30 seconds, capped by a four-point play by Michael Finke with just 8.1 remaining to take a 63-61 lead. But, once again, it was Palmer to the rescue.

Watson brought the ball up and found Palmer on the left wing. He took a dribble and leaned into a game-winning 3-pointer with just 0.8 on the clock.

“Well, I think that was appropriate,” Miles said after the game. “I’d rather be lucky than good.”

January 20, 2014: Nebraska upsets Buckeyes to spark tourney run

Coming into its home game against No. 17 Ohio State, Nebraska’s 2013-14 season was on the brink of collapse.

The Huskers had lost five straight games and were sitting at 8-8 overall and 0-4 in Big Ten play. They desperately needed a spark, and boy, did they get one.

Petteway and Shields had 18 points apiece to lead NU to a 68-62 upset over the Buckeyes. The win snapped a 15-game losing streak against ranked opponents. Nebraska would go on to win 11 of its final 14 games that season to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

December 29, 2022: Defense dominates in win over Hawkeyes

Last season was a significant departure from the first three years of the Fred Hoiberg era at Nebraska. Few games embodied that shift more than the home win over Iowa.

Behind by far the best defensive performance under Hoiberg, the Huskers rolled to a 66-50 victory. Iowa, which came in boasting the most potent offense in the Big Ten, shot a season-low 26% from the field and scored 33 points below its season average.

NU used a 20-0 run to blow the game open and led by as many as 24 before all was said and done. The Hawkeyes’ 50 points were the fewest by a Nebraska opponent since 2018. The Huskers also owned a 54-40 rebounding advantage, marking their most boards ever in a Big Ten game.

March 20, 2019: Huskers send off Miles with NIT win over Butler

Nebraska’s once-promising 2018-19 season fell apart down the stretch. But in what would be Miles’ final game at Pinnacle Bank Arena, the Huskers gave him a proper sendoff.

Hosting Butler in the first round of the NIT, NU took over with a 14-2 run midway through the second half. Roby scored a career-high 28 points, as he, Palmer (23), and Watson (17) combined for 68 of the team’s 80 points on the night.

With former NU coach/Butler AD Barry Collier sitting courtside, Nebraska won its first postseason game since defeating Charlotte to open the 2008 NIT. After the game, Miles addressed the crowd on the court with a microphone.

“Thank you for everything,” he said before walking off the floor to a standing ovation.

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