Fred Hoiberg's All-Time NCAA Tournament Record and Best Finishes

The cake has been baked. The seeds are official. And the NCAA Tournament begins this week.

Nebrasketball is the No. 4 seed in the South Region. The Huskers will open against Troy on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

Nebraska has famously never won an NCAA Tournament in the past eight tries. Coach Fred Hoiberg, however, is heading into his sixth March Madness as a head coach.

Here's how every Hoiberg-coached team has performed in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa State, 2012

After a 16-16 record the previous season, Hoiberg had the Cyclones at 22-10 and an 8 seed in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.

In the first round against the 9-seed UConn in Louisville, the defending national champions, it was Iowa State building a lead that stretched to as many as 22 points. Chris Allen scored 20 points, and Royce White dropped a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double in the 77-64 victory.

Iowa State Cyclones forward Royce White (30) shoots against Connecticut Huskies center Andre Drummond (12). | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The road got tougher in the second round, facing No. 1 Kentucky. Tied 42-42 in the second half, the Wildcats, led by Marquis Teague's 24 points, used a 22-4 run to race off with the 87-71 win.

Iowa State, 2013

Back for a second straight season, the Cyclones were 22-11 and a 10 seed.

In the opening round in Dayton, Iowa State faced 7-seed Notre Dame. A 19-3 run in the first half saw the Cyclones pull away for the 76-58 victory. Freshman Georges Niang poured in a career-high 19 points.

Iowa State Cyclone fans hold up a giant poster of Georges Niang. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Against the 2-seed Ohio State, Iowa State battled back from down double digits in the second half. But with the game tied 75-75, Buckeye Aaron Craft made a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining to win the game.

Iowa State, 2014

Perhaps the best team Hoiberg has ever coached, up until this year. The 2013-14 Iowa State Cyclones entered the NCAA Tournament 26-7, and were fresh off their first Big 12 Tournament title since 2000.

The 3-seeded Cyclones went down to San Antonio to meet the 14-seeded North Carolina Central Eagles. Iowa State shot a season-high 63.6 percent from the field and had five players in double figures in the 93-75 win.

Against the 6-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, five Cyclones again scored in double figures. DeAndre Kane led the way with his seventh double-double of the year, notching 24 points and 14 rebounds. He hit a game-winner with 1.6 seconds left to seal the 85-83 victory.

Iowa State Cyclones guard DeAndre Kane (50) shoots the game-winning shot against the North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jackson Simmons (21) and forward J.P. Tokoto (13) in the second half of a men's college basketball game during the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at AT&T Center. | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Onto the second weekend, for the first time, Hoiberg came up against 7-seeded UConn in Madison Square Garden. The Huskies started hot from deep, topping the Cyclones 81-76. UConn would go on to win the second time in four years.

Iowa State, 2015

Back-to-back Big 12 Tournament championships had Iowa State at 25-8 and a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The first round was in Louisville against the 14-seeded UAB. Monté Morris led Iowa State with 15 points, but it wasn't enough as the Blazers gave the Cyclones an abrupt exit, 60-59.

Nebraska, 2024

Just the second 20-win season since joining the Big Ten Conference had Nebraska at 23-10 and an 8 seed in March Madness.

Waiting for the Huskers in Memphis was Texas A&M. Just nine days earlier, the Aggies had hired away athletics director Trev Alberts.

Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga shoots the ball during the first round game between Texas A&M and Nebraska in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, March 22, 2024. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ultimately, it was a bad matchup for the Big Red. The physicality of Texas A&M gave Nebraska issues all game. The Huskers got a combined 45 points from Brice Williams and Keisei Tominaga, but the Aggies led by at least 12 points for the entire second half, en route to the 98-83 final score.

Nebraska, 2026

This is the highest seed for the Huskers since 1991. Of course, that group fell to 14-seed Xavier. Don't expect a repeat this week, as the Huskers should advance to the second round for the first time in program history.

Nebrasketball NCAA Tournament History

Year	Seed	Coach	First-Round Opponent	Result
1986	9	Moe Iba	(8) Western Kentucky	L 67-59
1991	3	Danny Nee	(14) Xavier	L 89-84
1992	8	Danny Nee	(9) UConn	L 86-65
1993	10	Danny Nee	(7) New Mexico State	L 93-79
1994	6	Danny Nee	(11) Penn	L 90-80
1998	11	Danny Nee	(6) Arkansas	L 74-65
2014	11	Tim Miles	(6) Baylor	L 74-60
2024	8	Fred Hoiberg	(9) Texas A&M	L 98-83
2026	4	Fred Hoiberg	(13) Troy

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

Nebraska Men's Basketball 2025-26 Schedule

Oct. 18 Nebraska 90, BYU 89
Oct. 27 Nebraska 91, Midland 50
Nov. 3 Nebraska 86, West Georgia 53
Nov. 8 Nebraska 96, Florida International 66
Nov. 11 Nebarska 69, Maryland-Eastern Shore 50
Nov. 15 Nebraska 105, Oklahoma 99 (Sanford Pentagon)
Nov. 20 Nebraska 84, New Mexico 72 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 21 Nebraska 86, Kansas State 85 (Hall of Fame Classic)
Nov. 25 Nebraska 80, Winthrop 73
Nov. 29 Nebraska 72, South Carolina Upstate 63
Dec. 7 Nebraska 71, Creighton 50
Dec. 10 Nebraska 90, Wisconsin 60
Dec. 13 Nebraska 83, Illinois 80
Dec. 21 Nebraska 78, North Dakota 55
Dec. 30 Nebraska 86, New Hampshire 55
Jan. 2 Nebraska 58, Michigan State 56
Jan. 5 Nebraska 72, Ohio State 69
Jan. 10 Nebraska 83, Indiana 77
Jan. 13 Nebraska 90, Oregon 55
Jan. 17 Nebraska 77, Northwestern 58
Jan. 21 Nebraska 76, Washington 66
Jan. 24 Nebraska 76, Minnesota 57
Jan. 27 Michigan 75, Nebraska 72
Feb. 1 Illinois 78, Nebraska 69
Feb. 7 Nebraska 80, Rutgers 68
Feb. 10 Purdue 80, Nebraska 77
Feb. 14 Nebraska 68, Northwestern 49
Feb. 17 Iowa 57, Nebraska 52
Feb. 21 Nebraska 87, Penn State 64
Feb. 25 Nebraska 74, Maryland 61
Feb. 28 Nebraska 82, USC 67
March 3 UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
March 8 Nebraska 84, Iowa 75
March 13 Purdue 74, Nebraska 58 (Big Ten Tournament)
March 19 vs. Troy 11:40 a.m. TruTV (NCAA Tournament)

Home games are bolded. All times central.