Nebraska will try to win the program’s first Sweet 16 game, one week after its first-ever tournament win.
On Thursday, the No. 4 seed Huskers will try to build on their best season ever against rival and No. 9 seed Iowa. With the season churning into the Sweet 16 in Houston, Head coach Fred Hoiberg said there’s no time to look back now. He addressed reporters during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
“I’ve talked about enjoying the journey. I mean, you have to enjoy this process. This team will be remembered forever as the first team to get that NCAA win,” Hoiberg said. “And there’s something to that. But at the same time, when I asked them after the game, are you satisfied? They said no.”
His son and senior point guard Sam Hoiberg said the team and the seniors played a bit more free after toppling Troy in the first round. Before that win, the Huskers were the only power conference team without a March Madness win.
“There was a ton of anxiety with that game, just knowing that, especially for the seniors like me and Rienk, if we didn’t get that win, we would have never been able to come back and do it,” Sam Hoiberg said. “But every game is super high-pressure now, so just [need to] get back to doing what you did all year and preparing for the game plan and executing the best you possibly can.”
Nebraska and Iowa split their regular season series this year with one win each.
Forward Rienk Mast and his teammates expect a good Husker showing for the Sweet 16 matchup.
“There’s some competition for those tickets, but for any Husker fans that have made it out here and will be in the arena, let’s try and be as loud as you can,” Mast said. “And I know Husker fans will support us no matter what.”
Houston is competing at home for this regional, leading to high demand for tickets. The No. 2 seed Cougars play No. 3 seed Illinois out of the Big Ten after the Nebraska-Iowa game Thursday.
The Big Red and Hawkeyes tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday night in Houston. TBS will carry the game, and it can also be streamed on the March Madness Live app.
The winners of each of those games will play Saturday.