Fastbreak: Huskers embracing 'clean slate' at Big Ten tourney

Head coach Fred Hoiberg and junior forward Derrick Walker met with local media on Monday to preview Nebraska's upcoming trip to Indianapolis for the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.

Here is a full recap of what they had to say...

***Hoiberg said Nebraska did a team-wide saliva (PCR) test this morning in addition to its regular daily antigen test. The Huskers will do another saliva test when they arrive in Indianapolis and will only be required to do daily antigen tests after that through the end of their season.

***Hoiberg said this week will present yet another unique challenge for Nebraska and every other Big Ten team in that the games will be played in a football stadium at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Hoiberg said he remembered the first time he played in a football dome in high school during the Iowa state championships at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. "I took my first shot and missed the basket by about 10 feet."

Hoiberg said NU would get a brief practice session before the game, and nearly all of it will be shooting work to get the players acclimated to the new environment.

***Hoiberg said there was a bit of an advantage in preparing for a Penn State team that Nebraska went 1-1 against this season, as the players quickly remembered concepts and scouting reports on the Nittany Lions.

But he said the Huskers would have to be ready for yet another battle until the final buzzer, as PSU was a tough team that was finding ways to win coming into the tournament.

***Hoiberg said he couldn't wait to get to the point where Nebraska was going into the Big Ten Tournament already as a lock for the NCAA Tournament and hoping to improve its seeding.

He said he still remembers when his Iowa State team won the Big 12 Tournament in 2014 and 2015, calling it "an amazing experience" for everyone involved.

***Nebraska has made 10 or more 3-pointers in four of its past eight games, and Hoiberg credited that improvement to his players finally shooting with confidence.

Hoiberg said the Huskers were starting to slow things down, operate within the offense, and shoot in rhythm. As a result, their numbers have made significant jumps.

***Walker said Nebraska's mentality now was that the regular season was over, and they couldn't dwell on what had happened to this point. He said their mindset was "everything going forward counts," and "if you win, you move on. If you lose, you go home."

***Walker said this season had been incredibly unique for him, given his suspension and trying to adapt into the lineup midway through the year after a month-long shutdown.

Walker said he adjusted as well as he could have expected and admitted that some of the adversity he had to overcome was caused by himself and his own mistakes.

***Walker said his first couple of games this season were just about him trying to get his wind back and getting into game shape again. He said he felt better as the season went on, and while he was still sore at times, it wasn't anything out of the norm.

Walker credited NU trainer RJ Pietig for keeping him fresh, and the most challenging part was staying mentally prepared during the grind of the condensed schedule.

***Walker said Nebraska's good starts to games this season came down to guys playing with confidence both in themselves and each other. He said NU had to hit shots early and build momentum right away because the Huskers couldn't afford to keep "playing catchup" every game.

***Penn State big man John Harrar hauled in 14 total offensive rebounds in his two meetings vs. Nebraska this season, and Walker said he takes that personally because "that's my matchup." Walker said NU had to keep Harrar and PSU off the offensive glass to have a chance to win on Wednesday night.

***Nebraska was just a few bounces away from sweeping the regular-season series vs. Penn State. But Walker said it didn't matter who the Huskers played because they feel like they can beat anyone if they play to their full potential.

"It's about us at the end of the day," Walker said.