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.
“You don’t get a chance to cut down nets very often, so for us, it was a really cool and special event,” he said. “Again, the guys that got the opportunity to play that are helping us this year in a huge way — that was as important as anything.”
The success has carried over to this season. Troy coach Scott Cross was impressed after Nebraska defeated his team 76-47 last week.
“Nebraska is one of the best teams,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since 1998. They’re really, really freaking good. The way they shoot the basketball and the way they defend, watching it on video, you’re like, man, there’s no openings as you watch it on video.”
Hoiberg has been able to enjoy the run with his son Sam as the point guard. Sam Hoiberg averages 9.4 points on 54.5% shooting and has 151 assists to just 37 turnovers. Sam's twin brother, Charlie, is a graduate team manager.
“To be able to share that moment with these guys — you get so caught up in the coaching part of it that you really don’t think about it, but when that game was over and all the emotions were flooding out, to be able to share that with those two guys has been great,” Fred Hoiberg said.
It's not all grit and precision — there's talent, too.
The Cornhuskers picked up a star in Pryce Sandfort, who played for Iowa last season before transferring. He leads the team with 17.9 points per game. Rienk Mast, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man from the Netherlands, has been a stabilizer. The senior is averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Braden Frager, a freshman from Lincoln, Nebraska, who hit the dramatic game-winning layup against Vanderbilt, averages 11.7 points as a reserve. Guard Jamarques Lawrence started his career at Nebraska, then played a season at Rhode Island for a season before returning to the Huskers. He averaged 9.8 points and 3.9 assists this season. Berke Buyuktuncel, a physical 6-10 forward from Turkey, has started every game.
Fred Hoiberg said each player's ability to find his lane has been key to the team's success.
“We all have our styles,” he said. “We all have our personalities. I think you’ve got to be who you are. These players are smart, and we have to be who we are. We can’t be frauds. It’s just kind of who I am and who I’ve always been.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
