Fred Hoiberg Previews Creighton Rivalry Game as Nebraska Aims to Protect Perfect Start

Nebraska men’s basketball enters its biggest test of the season this week, and Fred Hoiberg made one thing clear during his media availability: everything about Sunday’s in-state showdown with Creighton demands Nebraska’s best. The Huskers sit at 8–0 after a gritty 72–63 win over USC Upstate, but Hoiberg said the challenges ahead will look nothing like what his team has seen so far.

The head coach praised Creighton early and often, noting that the Bluejays appear to be “playing their best basketball of the season” entering Sunday's game. It’s a series defined by momentum swings, emotional swings, and, as Nebraska learned two years ago in Lincoln, the kind of nights where one team can get “smacked in the face” if it’s not ready from the jump.

Last year, Nebraska delivered one of its most complete wins of the Hoiberg era in Omaha, controlling the game from start to finish. But replicating that performance, the head coach said, requires discipline, poise, and a start far better than what the Huskers showed in their most recent outing last Saturday.

With an undefeated record on the line and a packed Pinnacle Bank Arena awaiting tipoff, Hoiberg wants his team leaning into what has made them successful, not the hype around the rivalry itself.

Build on it. pic.twitter.com/9Nfk1t0eNh
— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) November 30, 2025

Hoiberg didn’t gloss over the challenge ahead. Entering Sunday’s matchup, he made it clear that Creighton is playing at a level Nebraska hasn’t yet seen this season. “The way I look at this Creighton team, they’re playing their best basketball of the season,” he said, framing the Bluejays as a group hitting their stride at precisely the wrong time for an opponent.

He also didn’t shy away from the recent history between the programs. Two years ago, in Lincoln, Nebraska absorbed a blowout loss that Hoiberg repeatedly referenced as a reminder of what happens when the Huskers aren’t ready from the opening tip. That lesson still lingers, even for players who weren’t yet on the roster.

At the same time, Hoiberg pointed to last year’s matchup as the blueprint for what it takes to beat this team. “We did a great job last year playing a complete game from start to finish, and that’s what it takes,” he said, emphasizing the importance of energy through all 40 minutes.

The message was as straightforward as it was urgent, letting his team know they can’t ease into this one. Against a polished, experienced Creighton team, the Huskers must match their focus, execution, and intensity from the very first possession.

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast is averaging 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists through eight games this fall. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska's head coach hasn't forgotten his team's slow start against SC Upstate. Though the Huskers eventually settled in and controlled the matchup, Hoiberg made it clear that the same type of start won’t cut it against a team of Creighton’s caliber.

“For us, it's important to get off to a better start… hopefully we can get out of the gates quickly and get our fans behind us,” he said. It’s not just about scoring early; it's about setting an immediate tone in a rivalry game where energy and urgency can swing the night.

Hoiberg praised the atmosphere inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, calling it one of the nation’s best home environments when the Huskers give the crowd something to feed off. The fans, he said, can tilt a game, but only if the players give them an early spark.

“If you do that, it’s one of the best home court advantages in the country,” Hoiberg said. And with emotions naturally high in a rivalry game, Nebraska's first few minutes could determine whether the building lifts them up or has to watch them chase.

Junior guard Cale Jacobsen is one of six Huskers hailing from the state of Nebraska. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

For Nebraska’s 2025-26 roster, this rivalry hits closer to home than most. Six Huskers grew up in the state, and Hoiberg said that local connection gives the matchup a different type of edge. These players didn’t just learn about the rivalry; they lived it, even if it marks the first time playing within it for players like Braden Frager.

“This game means something. You’ve got six players on your team who grew up with this rivalry,” Hoiberg said. He pointed to guys like his son, Sam, and Cale Jacobsen, who have experienced both the highs and lows of this series firsthand, even noting the pair of guards have seen “a couple wins, but a couple bad losses at home as well.”

For those in-state players, the stakes go well beyond the box score. The rivalry carries memories, pride, and years of watching these games long before they found themselves suiting up in red. That emotional investment, Hoiberg noted, often fuels the intensity in ways outsiders might not fully appreciate.

Hoiberg also acknowledged his personal friendship with Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, a relationship built on years of mutual respect and honest conversations through “the ups and downs” of coaching. But when the ball tips, Hoiberg made it clear that the friendship is put on pause. In a game that means this much to his players, there’s no room for being nice.

Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott is in his 16th year at Creighton. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Nebraska enters Sunday unbeaten, Creighton is playing its best basketball of the season, and Pinnacle Bank Arena is set for one of the most electric atmospheres of the year. Hoiberg didn’t shy away from the stakes, saying this is the type of game that reveals who you are.

The Huskers got the upper hand last fall, but Hoiberg emphasized that last year’s success doesn’t buy them a single advantage this time around. Everything will hinge on execution, composure, and avoiding another slow start. Against a team as explosive as the Bluejays, even a brief lapse can swing the game.

Still, Nebraska steps into the moment with confidence as the Huskers have proven they can win in different ways. Hoiberg believes this group is built for challenges like this and expects his team to show Creighton they are too.

Now, the question is simple. Can Nebraska rise to the moment again and move to 9–0? On Sunday, with a packed house behind them, the Huskers will get their answer, but if their head coach's words offer any indication, Hoiberg expects his squad to earn the right to do nothing less.

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