WATCH: Vanderbilt was a bounce away from one of the most iconic buzzer beaters in March Madness history

Vanderbilt and Tyler Tanner almost did something that nobody would have stopped talking about for the rest of their lives.

Vanderbilt trailed Nebraska 74-72 with 2.2 seconds left, no timeouts, nowhere to go. The ball found Tanner somewhere around halfcourt and he launched a prayer toward the basket from roughly 50 feet away.

The slow motion replay shows the ball entering the hoop. It rattled around the rim. The Vanderbilt bench hit the floor. For one split second, an entire building collectively lost its mind. The ball came out. Nebraska survived. Vanderbilt went home.

Heartbreak for Vanderbilt

TYLER TANNER WITH AS CLOSE TO A HALF COURT BUZZER BEATER THAT YOU WILL EVER SEE 🤯

ABSOLUTE HEARTBREAKER FOR VANDY 💔pic.twitter.com/GR4GiTSD2k

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 22, 2026

If that shot drops softly instead of rattling out, it instantly becomes the greatest buzzer-beater in tournament history. Not a top ten conversation. Not a debate. The greatest one ever. A 50-footer to win a first round game in the final two seconds would have been played on television until the end of time. Tanner’s name would have been referenced every March for the rest of the sport’s existence.

Instead it is a near miss that Vanderbilt’s bench will see every time they close their eyes for the next several years. Several of them were already on the floor reacting before the ball came back out. That is what makes it so brutal. They thought it went in. The slow motion shows it did for a moment. And then it did not.

Nebraska advances to the second round for only the second time in program history. The first came on Thursday against Troy. The Cornhuskers are two games into their tournament run and both have been survived rather than won.

Would have been an incredible win for the overs…

I mean the basketball was literally halfway down the net. It was a brutal loss for anyone (me) that took the over 146.5 points in the game, with the final score landing at 146.

The Hook. Play The Song.

146. Needed 146.5. The Hook, baby. Play the song. https://t.co/hVCCcZQ4Cq pic.twitter.com/wbXxsJnRIA

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) March 22, 2026

March Madness does this. It gets right to the edge of history and then pulls back just enough to keep you wanting more. One soft bounce. That was all it was.

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