Iowa issues apology to Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg after fan confrontation

Iowa released a statement Wednesday apologizing to Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg after a postgame confrontation. A fan got onto the court following Tuesday’s game and confronted Hoiberg, who appeared to knock the fan’s phone away.

As Iowa put the finishing touches on the 57-52 victory over Nebraska, the fans stormed the court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. In the process, a fan went up to Hoiberg – who was still in the handshake line – with his phone to record a video, and the Cornhuskers coach swatted it away. The exchange made its way around social media Wednesday.

In Wednesday’s statement, Iowa apologized for the altercation. The school said it will also review its security process for any potential adjustments.

The University of Iowa Athletics Department implemented its court‑intrusion guidelines following last evening’s Iowa vs. Nebraska men’s basketball game,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, an individual gained access to the court through a restricted area, directly confronting Coach Hoiberg and putting Nebraska players, coaches, and staff in a reactive situation.

“We apologize for this incident and will conduct a review of our procedures and security measures to determine what adjustments may be needed to further strengthen our protocols and help prevent similar incidents in the future.”

Tuesday’s loss marked Nebraska’s fourth in its last six games after a 20-0 record to start the year. It was also the Cornhuskers’ first loss to an unranked opponent, which helped spark the court-storm.

Nebraska actually shot better than Iowa, 41% compared to 33%, the Hawkeyes had the slight edge from beyond the arc, shooting 26% from three-point range compared to 21% for the Cornhuskers.

It’s been an impressive season for Nebraska, winning its first 20 games of the year. Since then, though, the Huskers hae lost four of their last six. They’re 22-4 overall, and 11-4 in Big Ten play.

Next up for Hoiberg and Nebraska is a home date with Penn State on Saturday. The Huskers then face Maryland before heading to Los Angeles to face USC and UCLA and finishing the season back at home in a rematch with Iowa.

Iowa, on the other hand, is 19-7 on the season and 9-6 in Big Ten play. The win on Tuesday snapped a two-game losing streak.

Jonathan Wagner contributed.