Nebraska basketball guard Keisei Tominaga became a fan favorite in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament. Tominaga's emotional reaction to his Cornhuskers' defeat against Texas A&M went viral. The Cornhuskers guard was in tears in the game's final moments on Friday night.
Nebraska’s Keisei Tominaga emotional after the loss to Texas A&M 💔
(via @MarchMadnessMBB)
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 23, 2024
Tominaga played his final game in a Nebraska basketball uniform in the first round of March Madness, leading the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA tournament berth in a decade. The Cornhuskers bowed to Texas A&M in the round of 64, by a score of 98-83. Tominaga finished the game with 21 points in his final collegiate game. It was an emotional game for the guard, who was awarded a technical foul in the second half for jawing with an Aggies player after Tominaga blocked his shot. His final moments as a college player on the team's sideline got a lot of attention from the social media landscape.
Keisei Tominaga man you gonna make me cry too 😢 pic.twitter.com/yUcizoCNaC
— betr (@betr) March 23, 2024
NEBRASKA BASKETBALL TOURNEY DROUGHT
The loss continued a troubling streak for Nebraska basketball. The Cornhuskers remain the only power 5 team to have never won an NCAA tournament game. With the loss to Texas A&M, the Cornhuskers fall to 0-8 all-time in the tournament. The last time the Cornhuskers made the Big Dance was 2014, but the team is on the rise. Fred Hoiberg has seen his wins increase in each season he has been at the school. Hoiberg also coached for the Chicago Bulls, as well as Iowa State. He took the Cyclones to a Sweet 16.
Tominaga had a brilliant career for Nebraska basketball, playing for coach Hoiberg. The guard finished his career at the school with 1,074 career points, with a career 46 percent field goal percentage. He played three years at the school with Hoiberg, after playing at Ranger College in Texas. Tominaga is from Japan and is one of few Japanese players playing in Division 1 college basketball this season.
The guard played a pivotal role in bringing Nebraska basketball back from the depths. The team had a 20-win season this year, after winning only 10 games two years ago, and 16 last season. The team saw improvement each year with Tominaga on the floor, and the guard has etched his name into the record books as one of the best to ever play in Lincoln.
“I'm so proud of his growth over the last couple of years,” Hoiberg said of Tominaga, per 247 Sports. “His first year at Nebraska, there were some games he just couldn't play. He just got overwhelmed by physicality. Now he doesn't back down from anybody. I don't care who it is. He's going to go out there. He's going to give you an effort. He's going to make contact with you, and the way that he is guarded, his ability to create separation, has been absolutely phenomenal.”
The senior finished the season averaging 15 points for Nebraska basketball, to go with a 47-percent field goal percentage from the floor. Nebraska basketball fans are very excited to see what happens next for this talented young man from Japan.
Nebraska basketball falls to 23-11 on the season with the loss, ending one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Texas A&M moves on to play the no. 1 seed in the South region, Houston, on Sunday.
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