Fred Hoiberg addresses 'miscommunication' on play with 4 Nebraska players on court vs. Iowa

With less than a minute to play in Thursday’s Sweet Sixteen game against Iowa, Nebraska found itself with four players on the court. Huskers coach Fred Hoiberg addressed it after the game and said it was a “miscommunication.”

Nebraska called timeout with 58 seconds to play after Braden Frager cut Iowa’s lead to 71-68. Out of the huddle, though, only four Huskers came back on the court. Alvaro Folgueiras capitalized and not only took back a breakaway dunk, but drew a foul. Iowa then went on to get the win.

After the game, Nebraska forward Rienk Mast was asked about the play. Hoiberg then stepped in and took responsibility for the situation.

“Put that one on me,” Hoiberg said in the postgame press conference. “It was a miscommunication. I’m the head coach. Put that one on me.”

As for what the rules say about having only four players on the court, Hoiberg said he didn’t know the answer. While six players results in an administrative technical foul and two free throws for the other team, he wasn’t sure what the rulebook says about four players instead of the required five.

“That’s a good question,” Hoiberg said. “I’ve never been in a situation like that. I know they always count to make sure there’s not six. I don’t know the rule on that with four.

“Again, it was a miscommunication. Unfortunately, it happened. As far as the rule, I’ve never been a part of anything like that.”

Iowa eventually went on to get the 77-71 win to secure a spot in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987. The Hawkeyes trailed 46-43 at halftime but outscored the Huskers 34-25 out of the break to get the victory and keep their tournament run going in Year 1 under Ben McCollum.

For Nebraska, the Cornhuskers’ March Madness journey – after, at long last, securing their first-ever NCAA Tournament win – came to an end. Pryce Sandfort led the way with 25 points while Frager had 16.

On the Iowa side, Bennett Stirtz had a team-high 20 points to go with four assists. Tate Sage was close behind with 19 points while leading the Hawkeyes with eight rebounds. As a group, Iowa shot 51.9% from the field, including 43.3% (13 of 30) from three-point distance.

Iowa will now advance to Saturday’s South Regional Final in Houston. The Hawkeyes will get the winner of Houston vs. Illinois.