Fred Hoiberg, Nebrasketball Ready to Move On From 'Tough, Emotional Loss'

Despite losing three of its last four matchups in conference play, Nebraska basketball is still looking forward and not focused on what's happened. At least that's the message coach Fred Hoiberg is sharing with his team.

"I told them after the game last night (against Purdue), 'We've done a really good job of putting big emotional wins behind us. Now here's the flip side of it - you got to put the tough, emotional loss behind you now'," Hoiberg said Wednesday on the Huskers Radio Network's Sports Nightly program.

"Really, what will determine if you have success at the end of the year is how you handle those situations. Our guys have done a masterful job on the emotional wins. And now after that one, which, believe me, it's eating at all of us still... it is eating away at how we played. We got to find a way to put that behind us," Hoiberg said.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast (51) celebrates after being fouled during overtime against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

No. 7 Nebraska (21-3, 10-3 Big Ten) has now dropped back-to-back home games and has lost three of its last four contests overall after beginning the season 20-0 leading into a top 10 tilt at Michigan back on Jan. 27. The shorthanded Huskers fell in Ann Arbor 75-72, then battled back but fell short 78-69 at Pinnacle Bank Arena against Illinois on Feb. 1. Nebraska rebounded with an 80-68 win at Rutgers on Feb. 7 before falling 80-77 Tuesday night to No. 13 Purdue in overtime.

Rather than dwell on the narrow defeats to some of the conference's - and the nation's - best teams, Hoiberg and the Huskers are instead choosing to move on and look ahead to the next round of Big Ten tests that lie ahead.

"I watched our game last night. I watched it again this morning. Now it is on to Northwestern - watching that film and getting a game plan together," Hoiberg said. "The emotions in this business, especially in the season, you do the best job you can. You got to be there for your guys at the end of the day. You can't be on an emotional roller coaster or else your players will follow."

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg reacts to a call during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Nebraska's emotions were rightfully riding the roller coaster throughout Tuesday night's comeback bid. The Huskers faced a 22-point deficit before storming back late to push the game into overtime. Ultimately, Nebraska fell short in overtime, but Hoiberg believed Nebraska was in position to win.

"We work on those situations, as all programs do. When you have four seconds, you have four dribbles," Hoiberg said. "The idea was to get Jamarques [Lawrence] dribbling to get downhill with his momentum. Unfortunately, he just slipped on that wet spot."

Lawrence's untimely slip in the final moments of the game wasn't the only reason the Big Red came up short. Hoiberg called the first half a "frustrating start" as Nebraska trailed 40-24 heading into the break. He also noted that rebounding and contesting Purdue's shots were issues "all night." But the final sequence is what sticks in Hoiberg's thoughts.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Jamarques Lawrence (10) moves down the floor against the Purdue Boilermakers. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

"It was unfortunate what happened at the end. I replayed that last sequence in my mind 100 times as I was laying awake staring at the ceiling overnight," Hoiberg said.

"Jamarques made a great play - I thought Jamarques in overtime was really good - made a really great play to kick it out to Sam, who had a great look. It looked great, I thought it was a really good stroke. It just missed a little bit long," Hoiberg said. "We get the stop and then the theme of the night, we just could not come up with the rebound."

Hoiberg noted that Purdue's physical advantages made it difficult for Nebraska to overcome a poor shooting performance in the first half.

Purdue Boilermakers center Daniel Jacobsen (12) is fouled by Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) during the second half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

"The size, the length that Purdue has, you're at a disadvantage from the beginning. That being said, you have to be more physical," Hoiberg said. "I thought not only were they bigger but they were also the more physical team last night. When you hit first and you've got a three, four, five-inch advantage, you're not going to make that up. You've got to be the first one to make contact."

While Nebraska may have failed early to keep pace with Purdue, the Huskers' trio of scoring threats began to heat up in the second half. Pryce Sandfort was held scoreless in the first half, but ended with 15 points and was a key contributor in the Huskers' scoring chances for other players later in the contest.

"He's expending a lot of energy on the floor... Draws so much attention," Hoiberg said of Sandfort. "He did a really good job of screening (for) Rienk (Mast)... That's what freed Rienk up to get a couple shots that he knocked down, which is great to see. We're going to need Rienk to make shots like that as we head down the stretch."

A Nebraska Cornhuskers fan waves his shirt around during a timeout in overtime against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Hoiberg credited the fans in Pinnacle Bank Arena for keeping Nebraska in the contest, calling Tuesday night's environment "phenomenal" and "electric." The coach said it time for his team to hold up its end of the relationship to reward that energy.

"When we got on the run, they kept us going. I know every ticket is sold for the rest of the season. We're going to need it, but we need to protect home court for the remainder of the season," Hoiberg said.

Host Kyle Crooks asked the coach if he had the opportunity to grab a "Sam Hoiberg headband" during the promotional night on Tuesday. The Huskers' coach quipped that he "didn't like the promotions", adding with a smile that the Huskers "haven't done well" when Pinnacle Bank Arena has celebrated themes, such as the whiteout or the football program's annual dunk contest.

Action from first Nebraska-Northwestern game — Nebraska hosts Northwestern at noon Saturday, four weeks after the Huskers beat the Wildcats by 19 points in Evanston. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Huskers' coach finished his time on the program by discussing Nebraska's upcoming matchup Saturday with Northwestern. He said the Wildcats are not a team to overlook even if the Huskers already have an in-season victory over the Big Ten foe.

"They've got talent. They took Iowa all the way down to the wire," Hoiberg said. "They played everybody tough that they've gone up against. We're going to absolutely expect a battle."

Nebraska defeated the Wildcats in Evanston 77-58 on Jan. 17 as Braden Frager and Sandfort each contributed 20 points. Saturday's rematch at PBA tips off at noon CST with television coverage on the Big Ten Network. The game will also air on the Huskers Radio Network, with pregame on its affiliate stations beginning at 11 a.m.

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