Nebraska’s 4-on-5 Disaster vs. Iowa Was Due to ‘Miscommunication,' Coach Says

The Hawkeyes scored an easy bucked in the waning seconds against the Cornhuskers when coach Fred Hoiberg’s squad was caught sleeping.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg and Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tavion Banks dive for a loose ball. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

No. 9 Iowa was able to rally late against No. 4 Nebraska on Thursday night to punch its ticket to the Elite Eight. Despite not holding a lead until the final five minutes of play, the Hawkeyes kept things close and then ended the game on a 12–6 run to advance to the next round.

One key play in Iowa closing the game came thanks to a gaffe on the part of Nebraska. With the Hawkeyes holding a three-point lead and inbounding the ball with less than a minute to play, the Cornhuskers were caught with just four players on the court.

Nebraska seemed to realize its mistake, with big man Rienk Mast rushing to the scorer’s table to check in just as Iowa guard Kael Combs saw teammate Alvaro Folgueiras streaking down the court unguarded and launched the ball in his direction. Folgueiras converted the easy bucket, and Iowa would never look back.

FOLGUEIRAS CATCHES THEM OFF GUARD 😳

Nebraska only had 4 defenders on the floor. pic.twitter.com/6ayu6HjMiB

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026

Adding insult to injury is the fact that the play was coming out of a Nebraska timeout—if there was ever a time for the Cornhuskers’ defense to be set, it was here.

After the game, a reporter asked Mast what had happened on the play, but coach Fred Hoiberg cut in to take the question for himself.

“Put that one on me,” Hoiberg said. “It was a miscommunication and I’m the head coach. Put that one on me.”

Should play have been held until Nebraska had five men on the court?

Some fans following the action online wondered why the officials hadn’t held off on letting play continue until Nebraska was clearly ready for play to start—that is, had five men on the court.

Hoiberg was asked about the rule, and said he wasn’t sure what the exact ruling should have been by the officials, repeating that responsibility for the play ultimately came down to him.

“That’s a good question,” Hoiberg said. “I’ve never been in a situation like that. I know they always count to make sure there’s not six, I don’t know the rule on that with four. It was a miscommunication, and unfortunately it happened. As far as the rule, I’ve never been a part of anything like that.”

Per the NCAA rulebook, a team that is not ready to resume play promptly may be assessed with a delay warning from the officials, and on second offense, hit with a technical foul. But the rulebook also states that, “When the delay does not interfere with play, it shall be ignored.”

Essentially, it would seem that the officials in their discretion could have hit Nebraska with a warning and ensured that they had five men on the court, but given that them not having five guys ready to play was not exactly interfering with Iowa’s ability to inbound the ball, it was not required.

While the loss is going to sting for some time, this Nebraska team has plenty to be proud of, as they secured the Cornhuskers’ first tournament win in program history en route to the Sweet 16.

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