A year after fans took over Oklahoma City, Nebrasketball could have an even closer site for the first weekend.
Going into Selection Sunday in the spring, Nebrasketball was hoping the résumé was good enough for a high seed and a spot at the closest available first weekend site. It was, and the Huskers were sent to Oklahoma City.
That's when the Big Red faithful, coming from across the country, took over an arena and a city. About six-and-a-half hours from Lincoln, OKC experienced one of the biggest "home" environments in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska fans descended on Oklahoma City to see the program's first two NCAA Tournament wins in history. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn ImagesBut, next season, it could be even bigger.
Omaha is back in the rotation for the NCAA Tournament's first weekend. Being just up the road, this is the closest site for the Huskers. However, it is also the closest site for perennial top-four seed contenders Iowa State and Kansas.
The latest ESPN Bracketology from Joe Lunardi has Nebraska as a No. 6 seed. That would put the Huskers outside the preference for sites, but depending on other seeds and who gets placed in Omaha, NU could still get there.
That's how Lunardi sees it, for now. Kansas is a No. 3 seed and getting the Omaha site. The Jayhawks would be joined by Nebraska, the No. 11 seed winner of Marquette and TCU, and No. 14 seed UNC Wilmington.
The other pod he has in Omaha is No. 4 seed Alabama, No. 5 seed Texas Tech, No. 12 seed Wichita State, and No. 13 seed High Point.
Joe Lunardi has Nebraska men's basketball in Omaha for his latest bracketology. | ESPNThe hotels and AirBnBs wouldn't be as necessary in Omaha, but Husker fans would likely put up an even better showing than in Oklahoma City. Fans clad in Nebrasketball jerseys and shirts wouldn't be hard to find anywhere in the city.
Where that red might not be so prevalent would be in the arena.
In OKC, Troy's already small fan base didn't make much of a dent in the Paycom Center. Vanderbilt, which still hasn't figured out how to fly or get to Oklahoma, didn't put up a better showing in the second round.
But Kansas in Omaha? That's just a three-hour drive. The Jayhawks carry a national brand in basketball, so no matter the in-state location, KU won't let NU hold a 90%+ advantage in any arena.
Paycom Arena turned into Pinnacle Bank Arena South for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesStill, a year after the magic that was OKC and the run to the Sweet 16, getting Omaha would be a great way to help push the Big Red into the second weekend for the second straight season.
Below are the full list of sites, in order of distance* from Lincoln.
- Omaha - 58 miles
- Minneapolis - 432 miles
- Fort Worth - 632 miles
- Louisville - 707 miles
- Pittsburgh - 980 miles
- Charlotte - 1,162 miles
- Spokane - 1,390 miles
- Sacramento - 1,524 miles
*Distances via Google maps from city to city, not specific addresses.
