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Iowa Athletics issues apology to Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg following court storming
A video posted on social media showed a fan approaching the Nebraska head coach following Iowa’s upset win.
Feb. 18, 2026 5:49 pm
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IOWA CITY — The University of Iowa issued a public apology to Nebraska men’s basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg after a postgame incident during a fan court storm Tuesday night.
Iowa fans stormed the court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena after the Hawkeyes beat No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52. A video posted to social media following the game showed a fan approaching Hoiberg at the end of the handshake line, prompting a reaction from Hoiberg. The video quickly spread across social media after the game.
Iowa Athletics released the statement Wednesday afternoon.
“The University of Iowa Athletics Department implemented its court‑intrusion guidelines following last evening’s Iowa vs. Nebraska men’s basketball game. 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.“
According to a report from the Lincoln Journal-Star, the Big Ten will not take any disciplinary action against Nebraska or Hoiberg for the incident.
“Following the conclusion of Tuesday's men’s basketball game between Iowa and Nebraska, a brief encounter occurred in which an Iowa fan breached the postgame handshake line,” The Big Ten said in a statement. “The Conference has discussed the situation with both institutions, is taking no action in relation to Coach Hoiberg, and appreciates the efforts by Iowa’s administration to address postgame security protocols in the interest of preventing a similar occurrence from happening in the future.”
Iowa and Nebraska will face each other again in Lincoln on March 8 in the regular season finale.
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