Fred Hoiberg describes Nebraska's locker room after Indiana win

This has been the season Nebraska basketball fans have been waiting for. Fred Hoiberg is in the midst of his fifth year in Lincoln and needs to deliver an NCAA Tournament appearance. While he was well on track, getting a huge win on the road seemed to be one of the final pieces of the puzzle.

Nebraska did not just go into Assembly Hall and beat Indiana — they laid it on the Hooisers pretty good. The final tally wound up being 85-70 but the lead was much larger during the second half. A celebration ensued in the opposing locker room in what must have been an incredible feeling for Hoiberg.

“It was great,” Hoiberg said on the celebration. “This was huge. We needed to get a big road win and found a way to put 34 good minutes together. Give Indiana credit, those guys kept fighting. They got talent on that team, length. They pose a lot of problems. Again, I love the composure that our guys showed. And it was fun to celebrate with them in the locker room.”

Nebraska had not won on the road in the Big Ten all season, sporting an 0-6 record heading into Wednesday night. Getting the job done at home had been the Cornhuskers’ bread and butter, going 8-0 in Lincoln — including the best win of the season, Purdue.

Hoiberg mentioned that Jamarques Lawrence got a nice little shower from his teammates and “rightfully so.” Lawrence finished with 19 points and made all five of his three-point attempts. A great performance coming off the bench to propel Nebraska to a win they really wanted.

Three other Huskers finished in double figures, with Keisei Tominaga leading the way at 20 points. A night people inside the Nebraska program will not forget for a long time.

Nebraska close to sealing NCAA Tournament bid

Heading into the Indiana game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Nebraska as one of the final four byes. Taking a loss would certainly have not helped but a win feels like a good step forward.

Four games remain in the regular season and Nebraska will feel like they need to win at least three, if not all of them. Minnesota is the only team to be in the top half of the Big Ten standings. Michigan, Ohio State, and Rutgers are all in the bottom four and have had struggles at certain times.