Nebraska's Hoiberg takes blame for having four players on floor - ESPN

HOUSTON — Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said a late-game blunder that left his team with only four players on the court before a critical three-point play in the final minute of Iowa's 77-71 win over the Cornhuskers in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night was his fault.

With 58.8 seconds to play, Iowa's Kael Combs stood on the baseline to inbound the ball as his teammates pointed toward Alvaro Folgueiras — who hit the game-winning shot in his team's upset over 1-seed Florida on Sunday — who was racing down the court, wide open, before he scored on a critical layup and completed a three-point play to extend his team's lead to six points. It appeared that Nebraska's Rienk Mast was trying to check into the game before the shot, but he was too late.

After the game, Mast was asked to explain that play, but Hoiberg intervened.

«Put that one on me,» he said. «It was a miscommunication and I'm the head coach, so put that one on me.»

Hoiberg also said he wasn't sure whether the officials should have checked to make sure his team had five players on the court before they restarted the game.

«I've never been in a situation like that. I know they always count to make sure there's not six,» Hoiberg said. «I don't know the rule on that with four. But yeah, again, it was a miscommunication, and unfortunately, it happened. But as far as the rule, I've never been a part of anything like that.»

Iowa took its first lead of the game on Bennett Stirtz's 3-pointer with 2:10 to go. Tate Sage extended that edge to six points on another shot from beyond the arc less than a minute later. But Pryce Sandfort — who played at Iowa last season — responded with a 3-pointer of his own to set up the wild play in the final minute.

Stirtz and Sage, who were both