Fred Hoiberg Describes Challenges Purdue, Braden Smith Pose to Nebraska
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Over the last four years, Fred Hoiberg's Nebraska teams have given Purdue plenty of fits, especially in Lincoln. The Boilermakers needed overtime to beat the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena during the 2022-23 season and suffered an 88-72 defeat the following year.
On its home floor, Nebraska has held its own against one of the Big Ten's top programs. But the Huskers won't simply rely om their past success when Purdue heads to Lincoln on Tuesday night. Hoiberg talked about the challenges Matt Painter's team presents.
"We're going to have to be on point. This team plays hard, they play together and we can't give them anything easy," Hoiberg told reporters on Monday. "They're so disciplined in their approach on both ends of the floor; they run a lot of different coverages defensively. Early on, we'll see how they're playing us and adjust accordingly."
The biggest task will be trying to keep Purdue guard Braden Smith in check. The senior is avearging 15.2 points, 8.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He was recently named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, an honor he received at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Hoiberg understands that Smith is going to make plays throughout the night, but Nebraska will need to keep its composure in those moments.
"You just have to do the best job you can. He's one of the best three-level scorers in the country," Hoiberg said. "His ability to get the ball in the pocket — he's the best pocket passer I've ever seen. His ability to make tough shots, you can't get deflated. He's going to do some wow-factor type plays, but you can't get discouraged when he does that. You have to keep playing and keep making things tough."
Nebraska is one of the best defensive teams Purdue has played this season. The Huskers rank 11th in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency and are allowing just 66.1 points per game. Opponents are shooting 40% from the floor against the Nebraska.
This is a Purdue team that still has one of the country's most efficient offenses, though. Hoiberg knows his team will be in for a dogfight from the opening jump.
"These guys are so disciplined in everything they do. It's a real credit to their coaching staff in the way they go out and play every night," Hoiberg said. "We're going to have to be on point. This team was projected to win the league for a reason and they're right up there. They had three really close losses. They could very easily be undefeated right now."
Sam Hoiberg talks challenges of defending Smith
Senior guard Sam Hoiberg is going to be one who draws the assignment of defending Smith on Tuesday night. He's excited for the challenge to defend one of the nation's top point guards, but also doesn't expect to keep the Purdue star quiet all night long.
Instead, Sam's goal is to make life difficult for Smith for a full 40 minutes.
"You have to have good hands on him, make things tough because he's such an amazing passer and he can really scoer. You have to stay down on his pump fakes," he said. "Just make it tough on him. He's one of the best players in the country for a reason. You're not going to be able to shut him out, but make it as tough as you can."
Sam has been Nebraska's glue guy and one of the team's top defenders, averaging 2.0 steals per game. Making life difficult has been his speciality this season, but Smith has done the same to plenty of defenders.
The winner of this matchup could go a long way in determining the winner of Tuesday night's game.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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