In the NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 on Thursday, the fourth-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers fell to the ninth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes, 77-71, in Houston.
Nebraska held the lead for much of the contest but saw Iowa seize momentum late. Bennett Stirtz drained a three-pointer with 2:10 remaining to give Iowa its first advantage, and Tate Sage followed with another triple less than a minute later to push the lead to six points.
Nebraska responded to cut the deficit to three before calling a timeout with 58.8 seconds left.
Following the stoppage, a critical miscommunication left Nebraska with only four players on the court as Iowa inbounded the ball. Kael Combs spotted an unguarded Alvaro Folgueiras streaking downcourt, delivering a long pass that resulted in a layup and a drawn foul.
Folgueiras completed the three-point play, restoring Iowa’s six-point cushion and effectively sealing the outcome. Nebraska could not recover despite late opportunities.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg accepted full responsibility afterward.
“It was a miscommunication, and I’m the head coach, so put that one on me,” he said, via The Athletic.
Hoiberg expressed uncertainty about the officials’ role in such a rare situation but emphasized his accountability.
“I’ve never been in a situation like that. I know they always count to make sure there’s not six,” he added. “I don’t know the rule on that with four. But yeah, 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.”
The loss ended Nebraska’s historic Sweet 16 run, while Iowa advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.
