Fred Hoiberg calls 2022-23 roster his best defensive unit

Nebraska brought in some new faces this year, and they’ve played a key role in turning the Cornhuskers into a solid defensive team. In fact, Fred Hoiberg thinks this team is better on that end of the floor than any others he’s coached.

Hoiberg had some high praise for Nebraska, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten in scoring defense this season. Although some of his Iowa State teams — and at least one of his Chicago Bulls squads — were good on defense, he thinks this year’s Cornhuskers are better than both.

He credits some key newcomers to that success, notably transfer portal additions Sam Griesel, Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel.

“I think a couple of our Iowa State teams had a great toughness to them,” Hoiberg said after Nebraska’s loss to Purdue. “I really do. We were third in DER after All-Star break one year in Chicago where I thought we had a team that really bought into that identity. This team here, obviously, is the best defensive group. That was a big part of the offseason was trying to get guys that had length, that had a toughness factor to them that came from winning.

“You look at Sam, he’s played in the NCAA Tournament. Juwan, who I really thought fought out there, battled some foul trouble, but he’s part of an SEC Championship team. Emmanuel’s played in the postseason. That was important. It was important to get guys like that and I do think that’s the reason for the defensive identity that this group has.”

Fred Hoiberg not taking moral victories after OT loss vs Purdue

The potential that Nebraska basketball possesses was evident to coach Fred Hoiberg on Saturday against Purdue. The Cornhuskers took the No. 4 Boilermakers to overtime, but couldn’t pull off the upset as they eventually lost 65-62.

But despite the solid play against one of the country’s top teams, Hoiberg noted his players didn’t see it as a moral victory. Instead, they took the loss to heart, knowing that there is still plenty of work to do moving forward.

“Listen, there’s no moral victories,” Hoiberg said. “That’s the thing about this group. There was a lot of dejection in that locker room. At the same time, the way they went out and battled, if we do that every night we’re gonna have a chance to have a hell of a year. That’s the thing I told ’em. Walk out of here with your head high. Get some things fixed.”