Fred Hoiberg contract extension: Nebraska rewards coach after Huskers secure No. 2 seed in Big Ten Tournament
Hoiberg has engineered an incredible rebuild in Lincoln, and he's been extended on the heels of 26-5 season
Nebraska basketball has rewarded one of the best seasons in program history by extending coach Fred Hoiberg through the 2031-32 season, the school announced Monday. The Cornhuskers head into the postseason with a 26-5 record, matching a program high for most wins in a season, while their 15 conference victories set a new school mark.
Nebraska has far exceeded outside expectations this season, securing the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament after being picked to finish 14th in the league's preseason media poll. It is the program's best conference finish since the 1992-93 season in the Big Eight.
Nebraska spent much of the winter ranked in the national polls and climbed as high as No. 5 in January, another program milestone.
"Fred Hoiberg is a tremendous representative of the University of Nebraska, the Lincoln community and our state," Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said in a release. "We are extremely proud that he will continue to lead the Nebraska men's basketball program well into the future. Fred has built this program step by step, and his leadership has Nebraska positioned to continue to compete at a high level in the Big Ten Conference and nationally. Fred is one of the most respected coaches in the country by his peers and his success has been recognized throughout the college basketball world."
For Hoiberg, the extension continues a rebuild that began when he returned to his home state to take over the program in 2019. The Huskers won just 24 games combined across his first three seasons -- including only nine in conference play -- while the roster and program were reshaped.
Progress followed in the years since. Nebraska finished 16-16 in 2022-23 before breaking through the next season with its first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade, though the Huskers were eliminated in the first round. Nebraska remains the only high-major program without an NCAA Tournament win, going 0-8 all-time.
Nebraska followed that by surpassing 20 wins again in 2024-25 and capturing the inaugural College Basketball Crown postseason tournament.
The program has continued to trend upward this winter. Nebraska has now posted three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history and reached postseason play in each of the past three years, turning what began as a long rebuild into the most sustained run of success the program has had in decades.
"We have a long family history with the University of Nebraska, and the support we have received over the last seven years is truly remarkable," Hoiberg said. "We are blessed with world-class facilities, but the people are what make Nebraska special. Our goal is to continue building a program that our fans can embrace and have pride in because it represents the values of Nebraska."
Nebraska opens the postseason in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
