Fred Hoiberg shoulders blame for Nebraska having four players on floor for critical play in loss to Iowa

The Cornhuskers came out of a timeout with four players on the floor and Iowa got an easy basket

Chip Patterson

Mar 26, 2026

11:07 pm ET

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3 min read

Imagn Images

HOUSTON -- After leading the game for more than 30 minutes, the program-changing NCAA Tournament run for Nebraska is over after a 77-71 loss to Iowa in the Sweet 16. The Hawkeyes were never out of the game throughout a tense second half in Houston, but in the final two minutes it was Ben McCollum's team that took control. Some of it was Iowa's shot-making, but another crucial factor was a critical error by the Nebraska coaching staff.

Iowa took its first lead of the game with 2:10 remaining on a Bennett Stirtz 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes a 68-65 edge. Then after a Nebraska missed shot the ever-patient Iowa offense worked down the shot clock and found Tate Sage for another three-pointer to extend that lead to six points. Facing its largest deficit of the night, Nebraska found some success to stop the bleeding off an offensive rebound and cut the lead to three points (71-68) with 58 seconds remaining. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg called a 30-second timeout and prepared his team for the final minute of regulation.

The only problem was, when Nebraska broke the huddle and got set up there were only four Cornhuskers on the floor. That left Alvaro Folgueiras wide open behind the defense, and Kael Combs found him on a deep pass that Folgueiras proceeded to dunk home while drawing a foul.

> Fred Hoiberg reacts to Nebraska only having 4 players on the floor down the stretch.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/PViLcFtcfy

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026

Not only did the play re-establish Iowa's six-point lead, but it added to the swing of confidence between one team that was losing the game and another that was preparing to take it.

According to Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg, the error comes down to miscommunication coming out of the timeout.

"Put that one on me, it was a miscommunication and I'm the head coach," Hoiberg said after the game. "Put that one on me"

Also of interest in the wake of the loss was whether or not the officials should have, or could have, waited before beginning play. Officials typically do count the number of players on the floor to determine if a team is in violation with too many players on the floor, but none of them made a point to establish that Nebraska was short one man.

"I don't know the rule on that with four," Hoiberg said later. "But, yeah, I mean, again, it was a miscommunication and unfortunately it happened. But as far as the rule I've never been a part of anything like that."

Iowa's Stirtz, who was pointing at Folgueiras before Combs made the pass, mentioned that he had no idea at the time that Nebraska only had four players on the court, only that he noticed his teammate was wide open behind the defense. It was only when he got back to the locker room that he and his teammates put it all together that their rivals had made such a critical mistake in crunch time.

Hoiberg was quick to take the blame for the error, and clearly did not want the mistake to define what was a stinging loss for a surging team. Nebraska will hang a banner in Pinnacle Bank Arena for this first-ever Sweet 16 appearance, he noted, and the players involved will forever be linked to one of the greatest moments in program history. He was also sharp to note that in those final minutes Nebraska was able to get some good looks and shots simply did not fall, but those misses were amplified as more miscues in a final sequence that had gone decidedly Iowa's favor.

As it is, Nebraska is heading home and Iowa will remain in Houston with a date to play in the Elite Eight on Saturday night as just the eighth No. 9 seed to make it to the regional final since seeding began in 1979. It will be the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 1987 and the Hawkeyes will be playing for their first Final Four since 1980.

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