Fred Hoiberg, Juwan Gary react to Nebraska's road upset of No. 16 Oregon

The Nebraska Cornhuskers won their fourth game this year over a ranked opponent on Sunday, after they went into Eugene and handled the No. 16 ranked Oregon Ducks on their home floor, 77-71. Senior guard Brice Williams led the way with 28 points and Juwan Gary poured in 23 points for the Cornhuskers. Following the big road victory, Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg spoke with the Big Ten Network on the floor.

He thought the Cornhuskers’ good start was critical in the outcome of the game on Sunday.

“Well, we got off to a great start. We wanted to come out in an afternoon game like this and throw the first punch,” Hoiberg explained. “They went on a little run. We knew they would. But I thought we kept our composure. We talked at halftime. Guys we got a lead. On the road. We’re where we need to be. We gotta come out in the second half with that same intensity.”

The Nebraska head coach was impressed with the performance of his stars, Brice Williams and Juwan Gary.

“They did. I thought Brice was really good, first of all, getting the ball into the pocket. I thought Andrew [Morgan] made some good plays getting to the rim,” Hoiberg continued. “And then Brice, getting downhill. I thought he rejected a couple ball screens. Hit Juwan with a huge three. We obviously didn’t shoot the ball great. But I thought guys made plays and that’s what it’s all about.”

Hoiberg knew the win in Big Ten Conference play was critical, especially since it came on the road.

“Well, we needed to get one on the road at least. After dropping a couple at home, you know, we knew to even that out, we had to come out and play well on the road. And you know, again, it’s all about the starts for us. If we get off to a good start, generally we play well,” Hoiberg finished.

Juwan Gary also spoke with the Big Ten Network after his 23-point, five rebound performance.

The Cornhuskers had a six-game losing streak. But now, they’ve won two in a row. Gary knows this stretch has been critical to helping his team turn the season around.

“You realize it’s not over. [Six-game] losing streak happens to a lot of people, but at the end of the day, it’s how you finish things, for sure. I think it was two great wins we got,” Gary explained. “But, we’ve still got an away game at Washington that’s going to be a tough little road game. Celebrate this tonight, and you’ve got to push it away. Back to our mindset. We’ve got to go to the road tomorrow to Washington. So, we’ve got to look at this as a capitalization where we gotta go out with an urgency and a mindset every game, here on out.”

Next up for Nebraska, they’ll face off against the Washington Huskies on Feb. 5th. That one will be televised on the Big Ten Network, and it will air at 10:30 PM EST.