Fred Hoiberg turns Nebraska from laughingstock to March Madness darling and Sweet 16 squad
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Fred Hoiberg carried the nickname “The Mayor” during his playing days at Iowa State, a reflection of his popularity in Ames, Iowa. With the following he's gained as Nebraska's head basketball coach, perhaps “Governor” would be fitting. And if he leads the Cornhuskers past rival Iowa in the Sweet 16, any election might be a landslide.
Hoiberg has lifted the Cornhuskers (28-6) from laughingstock to March Madness darling. The Cornhuskers were a combined 14-45 his first two seasons after he took over in 2019. Heading into this season, Nebraska, which had never won an NCAA Tournament game, was picked to finish 14th in the 18-team Big Ten Conference.
Instead, the Cornhuskers won their first 20 games and jumped into the top five of The Associated Press poll. They earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a horde of Nebraska fans traveled to Oklahoma City to watch the program take over the Paycom Center and claim its first two March Madness victories — a blowout against Troy and a thriller against Vanderbilt .
Hoiberg said his players deserve the credit heading into the South Region matchup with Iowa (23-12) on Thursday in Houston. “They’ve just done all the little things really well, and to me, it makes our job as coaches a lot easier when you have a group that does all those things," he said. "They hold each other accountable.
We've got great leadership with this group — as good as any that I’ve coached. ” Hoiberg said the seeds for this year’s success were planted last season at the College Basketball Crown tournament. The Cornhuskers won four games to claim the championship at that event, making success a part of their identity .