Meet the Opponent: Fred Hoiberg and the Struggling Nebraska Cornhuskers
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana desperately needs a win in its Big Ten home opener after that dismal showing at Wisconsin last weekend, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers are just what the doctor order.
Fred Hoiberg is in the first year of a major rebuilding job in Lincoln, and it hasn't been pretty so far for the Cornhuskers. They are just 4-5, with all five losses coming against unranked teams, and four of those five coming by 17 points or more
Friday's game will be Nebraska's first in the league, with a quick turnaround on the schedule since the Huskers will play Purdue at home on Sunday.
Here are the particulars on Friday night's Indiana-Nebraska game:
- Who: Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-5, 0-0 in Big Ten) at Indiana Hoosiers (9-1, 0-1 in Big Ten)
- When: 8 p.m. ET, Friday, Dec. 13
- Where: Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
- Matchup predictor: Indiana is a 17-point favorite according to vegasinsider.com and has an 89.7 percent chance of winning, according to ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
- Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked in the AP or Coaches Poll, but Indiana is receiving votes in both. The Hoosiers are No. 29 in the AP poll and are tied for No. 33 in the Coaches poll.
- Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana is No. 26, Nebraska is No. 157, the lowest of all 14 Big Ten teams.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Kevin Kulger, Shon Morris
- Radio: Indiana Radio Network
- Announcers: Don Fischer, Eric Suhr, Joe Smith
Here are three things you should know about the Cornhuskers
1. Fred Hoiberg has a huge rebuilding job on his hands
Between graduations and attrition, Fred Holberg walked into the situation at Nebraska and had to practically build a roster from the bottom up. Indiana fans remember the first year of the Tom Crean era, and this is pretty similar.
Nebraska is 4-5 thus far, one of only two Big Ten teams with a losing record (Minnesota is the other). The Cornhuskers have lost three times at home already, opening the season with losses to UC-Riverside and Southern Utah in games that were supposed to be guaranteed victories. They also lost at home to George Mason by 19 and were trailing in-state rival Creighton 37-7 on the road in the first half on Saturday.
"All these are learning opportunities for our group," Hoiberg said. "We've just got to learn from it and hope we get better the next time out."
2. Instilling discipline, even at a price
Adding up all the wins and losses this year probably means less than establishing the proper culture in Lincoln. Holberg, who had great success at Iowa State before jumpingto the NBA's Chicago Bulls, knows what he's doing, but it will take time.
So sending messages are important. When his starting point guard, Cam Mack, was a minute late for the team bus on Saturday, Holberg yanked him from the starting lineup.
When I played for Larry Bird, I always remember what he said in that first team meeting," Hoiberg said. "He said 'I played 13 years in this league and I was never late one time for anything — any appointment, any bus, any shootaround, any game time.'
"If you got a guy that's arguably a top-10 player of all time that was always on time, then certainly we could be on time. And that is the No. 1 most important rule that I have, is being on time. The decision was easy not to start Cam."
3. Fixing things during the Big Ten season is hard
Hoiberg was frustrated with that 37-7 start against Creighton because he felt like his team wasn't ready to play. That kind of blowout on the road is never good, and it doesn't look to get any easier on Friday when they play an Indiana team that is already 8-0 at home this season.
"It's a mindset. You have to get yourself ready to go out there and play on the road," Hoiberg said. "Hopefully we play better at Indiana and we can get off to a better start. It's Big Ten basketball, and it is what it is," Hoiberg said. "We have to be ready to go if we want a chance."
Mack is avergaing 12.3 points per game, second on the Cornhuskers after guard Haniif Cheatham. Nebraska is shooting only 43.3 percent from the field and a dismal 56 percent from the free throw line.
Related Item: Fred Holberg on playing in Assembly Hall
VIDEO: Fred Holberg talks about watching last year's Indiana-Michigan State game at Assembly Hall and the electric atmosphere in the iconic arena.
