Nebraska has had its best season in years, and for the first time in program history, there is true hope that it will finally win an NCAA Tournament game. When Fred Hoiberg took over the Huskers program, Nebraska basketball was the laughing stock of Nebraska Athletics, and over the last five years, he has brought it back to respectable form.
After starting the season 20-0, a record-setting start, the Huskers struggled a bit to find their identity again, but even with a rough patch, Nebraska is set to have a great seed in the NCAA Tournament. With some help from other teams in the Big Ten, Nebraska even got the all-important triple-bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Hoiberg has created a fantastic culture at Nebraska, and with a record-setting season under his belt, the administration decided to reward him for it. Hoiberg received a three-year extension that will also give them a bit of a pay raise.
Fred Hoiberg plans to finish his career at Nebraska
Hoiberg has been coaching for quite some time, and he plans to coach for a while longer, but he isn't planning on going anywhere else outside of Nebraska. After getting his contract extension, an extension that he could have waited on in order to get some more money with more wins, Hoiberg spoke about his love for the Huskers program.
"I have no interest in going anywhere else at this stage of my life," Hoiberg said. "I hope we're here for a long time."
"I have no interest in going anywhere else at this stage of my life. I hope we're here for a long time."
— Kevin Sjuts (@kevinsjuts) March 11, 2026
Watch my 1-on-1 interview with Fred Hoiberg where we discuss his Big Ten Coach of the Year award, the Big Tne Tournament, & his contract extension: https://t.co/A93snKwuSk pic.twitter.com/woOfr40Ay1
Hoiberg has done a lot at Nebraska; he coached his son throughout his college career, and he has now built a program from the ground up. He has done what many coaches have dreamed of doing, and he now has a chance to go and do something never done at Nebraska: win a conference tournament game.
Nebraska has the chance to finally get that monkey off its back with a win in March Madness, and this might be its best chance yet. With one of its potentially most favorable seeds in the tournament, the Huskers could not just win their first game, but also make a big run.