Fastbreak: Nebraska turned the page quickly as focus shifts to Vanderbilt

OKLAHOMA CITY – On the heels of its biggest win in program history, Nebraska didn’t have much time to celebrate its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Head coach Fred Hoiberg and his players gave the latest as the Huskers prepare for their Round of 32 matchup against Vanderbilt on Saturday night. Here’s a full recap from Friday’s media session…

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg

***Hoiberg said it was “an honor to continue competing” with his team, and he’s thankful for the opportunity to coach them for at least another game.

***On Vanderbilt, Hoiberg called guards Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles “unbelievably quick,” while fellow guard Tyler Nickel was “a flat-out lazer” as a 40% 3-point shooter. He added that VU bigs AK Okereke and Devin McGlockton “play their role to perfection.”

***Looking back, Hoiberg said Nebraska’s 20-0 start to the season “didn’t affect anything” for his team, especially with its day-to-day approach. He learned that the Huskers could handle success after their week of wins over Creighton, Wisconsin, and at Illinois.

Hoiberg said NU needed that type of focus more than ever coming off its emotional first NCAA Tournament win. The key, as always, will be keeping the focus “on the next assignment.”

***The process of turning the page started even before the team’s dinner on Thursday night. The Huskers watched Vanderbilt film before the meal and returned with a good practice at Oklahoma City University on Friday morning.

After Friday’s media session, NU held another shoot-around session at the Paycom Center. Nebraska will have another film session on Friday evening, then another shoot-around at the arena at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“We have to be on point with this,” Hoiberg said. “If we don’t, it’s not going to be pretty.”

Reflecting on Nebraska’s first NCAA Tournament win

***As emotional as the first tournament win was, Hoiberg credited his players for immediately locking in for Thursday night’s film session. His message was for the Huskers to “enjoy the ride” and relish another game as a “special team.” However, they must stay focused to have a chance to advance.

***Hoiberg said Troy hit some tough shots early, but Nebraska “stuck with the plan” on defense. He was “really impressed” with NU’s defensive activity throughout, noting how many deflections led to stops, turnovers, and transition offense.

Hoiberg said Rienk Mast had six deflections, along with his 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. He thought Mast “had control of that thing” from the start.

***Hoiberg said Nebraska scored 1.39 points per possession before the Troy game “went analytically final”. He said that was NU’s fourth-best PPP of the season.

Additionally, the Huskers were at 2.33 points per possession following their 13 offensive rebounds.

“I thought our attention to detail in the game plan was exactly where it needed to be,” he said.

***Hoiberg said he heard from countless family, friends, colleagues, and former teammates and players after Thursday’s win. Those included Tyronn Lue, Rich King, Beau Ried, Brice Williams, Tim Miles, Doc Sadler, and several boosters.

“That meant a lot to a lot of people.”

On NU’s handling success and continuing to build momentum

***On what has made Nebraska such a connected team, Hoiberg pointed to its discipline, maturity, and leadership across the board. He said NU had only one player show up late to a practice or film session, and that was because he overslept and arrived 15 minutes late.

“They’ve just done all the little things really well, and to me, it makes our job as coaches a lot easier when you have a group that does all those things,” Hoiberg said. “They hold each other accountable, have got great leadership with this group, as good as any that I’ve coached.”

***Asked what he thought Nebraska’s first NCAA Tournament win could do for the program’s momentum, Hoiberg wasn’t sure yet, “but it doesn’t hurt.”

“I think the system and the style that we play, if you’re a skilled big, it’s a great system for you,” he said. “If you can shoot the basketball, you see what Pryce (Sandfort) is doing in our system this year, and Braden (Frager), and multi-skilled players. Yeah, I mean, when everything opens up, and we try to reconstruct the roster, we’ll talk a lot about this.”

A special moment for Hoiberg and his father

***One of the most special parts of Nebraska’s victory was Hoiberg getting the chance to call his father after the game. His dad recently moved into an assisted living facility, but he was still able to watch “most of the game.”

“It was a special conversation,” Hoiberg said. “I won’t say exactly what we talked about, but he’s really proud of everything. When I look back, with the (introductory press conference at Nebraska) when he was there and how different things are for him now, yeah, it was emotional talking to my dad.

“He’s been there. Listen, you sacrifice so much as parents for your kids, and my dad did as much as anybody to help me get to where I got in this game as a player and certainly been there as a coach. He’s the guy out in the parking lot yelling at a ref for missing a call after the game.

“Yeah, it was a special moment for me.”

Sam Hoiberg, Pryce Sandfort, and Rienk Mast

***Sam Hoiberg said the team made it “an emphasis to enjoy” their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. However, their attention moved to Vanderbilt before NU’s dinner that evening. He said the Huskers held a long film session on Thursday night and had a good practice on Friday morning.

“We’re definitely past the high and ready for the next one,” Sam said.

***Sam Hoiberg said Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner was “as fast as anyone in the Big Ten,” and compared him to Purdue’s Braden Smith. He said slowing down Smith would be a “tall task,” and that Nebraska needed excellent ball-screen coverage and good perimeter rotations.

***After an incredible home crowd for Thursday’s win, Sam Hoiberg thinks Saturday’s atmosphere could be “maybe even louder.” However, he said Nebraska couldn’t “rely on that” to play well and needed to bring the right focus and effort, regardless of the crowd.

***Having watched plenty of Vanderbilt film, Rienk Mast said the Commodores were “very fast” with “dynamic guards.”

“Everyone shoots it,” he added.

***Pryce Sandfort credited excellent offensive execution and getting the ball in transition for his shooting success vs. Troy. When the offense is clicking like that, he said, it makes his job so much easier.

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