An Iowa fan and his phone got up close and personal with Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg Tuesday night.
Hoiberg was not having it. He smacked the phone out of the fan’s hand as Iowa fans rushed the court during the postgame handshake line. He also inadvertently smacked an Iowa staffer in the back of his head on his follow through. Hoiberg and the Iowa staffer quickly made nice.
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Video from the stands captured the incident.
The fan whose phone got smacked captured first-person footage.
The unidentified fan — or someone nearby — screamed “nice game, buddy” in Hoiberg’s face just prior to the smack.
Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers were fresh off a 57-52 loss to the Hawkeyes. It was their fourth loss in six games following a 20-0 start. He was in no mood to be taunted.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no announced discipline for Hoiberg. Per the Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska athletics declined a request for comment on the incident and referred questions to the Big Ten office. The Big Ten has yet to address the incident publicly.
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Iowa responds
Iowa released a statement Wednesday afternoon addressing the court storm and the fan.
“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,” the statement reads.
“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.”
More court storming drama
Tuesday’s court storm was the latest to raise the ire of a prominent head coach.
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer claimed after a last-second road loss to rival North Carolina on Feb. 7 that a member of his coaching staff “got punched in the face” in the ensuing court storm, leaving him with a bloody lip.
There’s so far been no footage or evidence to confirm Scheyer’s account, prompting Orange County District Attorney, Jeff Nieman — a UNC graduate — to dispute Scheyer’s claim.
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Tempers are flaring across college basketball, and it’s not even March yet.