Let us start by saying that Fred Hoiberg has been nothing short of sensational for Nebraska this season. He helped make history for the Cornhuskers, with a trip to the Sweet 16 being something that no one in Lincoln is ever going to forget.
Nebraska among the most 'bang for your buck' programs in the Big Dance
With that said... coach, come on, how did you let this happen? We're of course talking about the play late in the contest, with Nebraska down by three with 58.8 seconds left on the clock. Iowa was inbounding the ball and the Huskers were ready to try to force a turnover.
However, Nebraska only had four players on the floor and Iowa had a free bucket put on a platter? Unfortunately, that's how things went down, as this blunder you'll see below is going to haunt Nebraska for the rest of the offseason:
Nebraska only had four players on the court 🤯🤯
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 27, 2026
pic.twitter.com/DD9Lax5dHa
Fred Hoiberg's last-minute blunder has Nebraska fans heartbroken
You've got to be kidding. The pass was perfect and Alvaro Folgueiras made the Cornhuskers pay by not only scoring, but also getting fouled for the devastating and-1 play. That pretty much ended any hope of a trip to the Elite Eight, with Iowa posting a 77-71 win. As you might have been able to guess, people are letting Hoiberg have it right now:
Ben McCollum just coached LAPS around Fred Hoiberg in crunch time.
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 27, 2026
If you ever feel stupid just know Fred Hoiberg kept his son on the floor in clutch time and sent 4 defenders out on the floor after a full timeout to end a season he spent 7 years building 😂😂😂😂😂
— Mailman Puch (@MailmanPuch) March 27, 2026
Fred “Coach of the year” Hoiberg put in four guys on the court on defense off a timeout down three.
— Barstool UofM (@BarstoolUofM) March 27, 2026
Lost them the game 😭😭
Always thought Fred Hoiberg was a good coach. But how the hell did he nor anyone else on his bench not know there were just four players on the court???
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) March 27, 2026
What an all-time blunder. Nebraska had four players on the court. Iowa throws the deep ball and Folgueiras gets the three-point play to extend the lead to six.
— Myron Medcalf (@MedcalfByESPN) March 27, 2026
Fred Hoiberg:
— Twelve Saturdays (@12Saturdays) March 27, 2026
“My team is on the floor.”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Fred Hoiberg absolutely lost that game for Nebraska. What a joke of a coach.
— Nick Punto (@TomasRicardos) March 27, 2026
Again, we can't overstate how brilliant Hoiberg has been for Nebraska this year. He has earned all the love he's gotten this month too. However, for this to happen coming out of a timeout with your season on the line is absolutely inexcusable. You've got to be kidding!
Things were only made worse with Iowa being on the other side of things. Losing to a rival makes the defeat 1,000 times more of a nightmare, as you know Hawkeyes fans are going to be chirping for quite some time. Give credit to Ben McCollum, as he had his guys ready to play and he has once again led his group to another head-turning upset. This mishap by Nebraska alone didn't cost the Cornhuskers the game, but we're going to be saying 'what if' for a while knowing it sure did have a massive impact on how things closed out.