In need of consistency, Fred Hoiberg leans on old advice from Reggie Miller

When things get tough and the adversity hits, how will you handle it?

That’s the current challenge for Fred Hoiberg as he tries to figure out how to get his Husker team to play every game like the ones against Michigan State, Indiana and Purdue — all wins.

Hoiberg joined 'Sports Nightly' on the Huskers Radio Network on Monday night to talk about it all and preview Wednesday's 6 p.m. game at Rutgers, which will be shown on BTN with Jason Horowitz and Jess Settles on the call.

In the huddles against those three conference opponents, Hoiberg felt like he didn’t even need to be in there. The players were already talking about which defensive coverages would do well, and it worked. They were in control.

But that’s not what happened at Iowa last Friday.

“In the Iowa game, it was different,” Hoiberg said. “You get in the huddle, and it was almost like a deer-in-the-headlights look when things got tough. And that’s the challenge, is when the adversity hits, how will you handle it? And ultimately, that’s going to define what type of year we have. We’re in a good spot right now, but we have to be better and we have to respond better.”

Hoiberg said the players weren’t mentally prepared to face the Hawkeyes and the quick pace they play with. It was an 18-point loss away from Pinnacle Bank Arena, which is turning into a theme: poor play on the road, away from Husker fans.

At this stage of the season, the Huskers look like a different team when playing at home in front of their crowd. They’ve only lost once, to Creighton in December.

The home-court environment is a big reason for the success. One thing Hoiberg did say to the game operation staff at PBA? It’s great that Dylan Raiola was in attendance for a Husker basketball game, which he’s done in the past. But maybe don’t show him on the big screen while the Huskers are taking free throws.

“Maybe we could do that when the other team is shooting free throws,” Hoiberg said through a laugh. “It got pretty loud in there when it happened.”

But away from the friendly confines of PBA, it’s been bad. Nebraska has lost all three tilts against Big Ten foes, but the Huskers aren’t the only ones with road woes. Before Illinois was knocked off by Maryland on Sunday, the top seven teams in the Big Ten were 17-0 at home.

Following losses, Hoiberg has loved what he’s seen from his squad and its response. But after wins? Not so much. So what’s going to happen Wednesday night inside Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway?

Nebraska (13-4 overall, 3-3 in Big Ten) travels to Rutgers (9-7, 1-4) for a contest against the Scarlet Knights, who are at the bottom of the conference standings. Husker fans know that doesn’t mean much, though. Rutgers will bring fight and toughness like it usually does.

Rutgers owns the second-best scoring defense in the Big Ten and 24th in the country at 64.3 points per game.

“They really heat you up, they throw different presses out there at you. They’ll get in the passing lanes and deny, so we have to handle their pressure well,” Hoiberg said. “We have to force them into the half-court, we can’t give them anything in transition, which is fueled by their defense.”

As always, rebounding will be key. Hoiberg said the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Clifford Omoruyi is one of the best offensive rebounders in the country — he’s hauling down 2.81 per game.

The Scarlet Knights are averaging 5.8 blocks per game, most in the Big Ten and 10th in the country. Omoruyi will have a major impact on the defensive end of the court as he's averaging 3.4 blocks per game, best in the Big Ten and third in the country.

Rutgers' offense has struggled this season and currently ranks last in the conference at 67.5 points per game. Two Scarlet Knights are averaging double-figures, including the 6-6, 235-pound Aundre Hyatt (12.0) and the 6-7, 215-pound Mawot Mag (10.9), who missed the first eight games of the season while finishing his rehab for a torn ACL he suffered last February.

Hoiberg remembers this moment clear as day: when he was a rookie with the Indiana Pacers in the 1995-96 season, Reggie Miller pulled Hoiberg to the side and offered some advice to the young sharpshooter from Iowa State.

“He called me Rook,” Hoiberg said. “He said, ‘Rook, I’m just going to tell you right now, in this business you can’t let your highs get too high, and you can’t let your lows get too low. And right now we’re riding the wave of the highs and lows, the emotions. It’s a little bit like a roller coaster right now. So we need to get more even.”

Handling success is going to be crucial if Nebraska wants to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2013-14 season. That means knowing when to enjoy accomplishments and when to just put your head down and focus on what needs to be focused on — the basketball.

“Against Purdue, we were as consistent as we’ve been since I’ve been here. You can argue that was as good a win as any in the history of the program,” Hoiberg said. “And the other thing is, when you have a win like that, people start talking about things. And if you believe it, buy into it, that can take your focus away.

"And on the other end, you beat a team like Purdue, ‘OK, we’re going to be in the Final Four.’ And then you lose to Iowa, well, ‘We’re never going to win another game again.’ Those are the highs and lows and things you deal with, especially in the social media era we’re living in.”

Hoiberg said the team held a practice in Lincoln at 8 a.m. on Tuesday before taking off for Piscataway at around 12:30 p.m. After the Rutgers game, the team is expecting to get back to Lincoln at around 2 or 2:30 a.m. Then there’s another quick turnaround for the 1:15 p.m. Northwestern game on Saturday.

Saturday will be a special day for Hoiberg and the basketball program as former coach Danny Nee and his 1993-94 team that won the Big Eight championship will be recognized.

“Had some fun games against those guys, I think they beat us both times that year at Iowa State,” Hoiberg said with a smile. “It’s just going to be a really fun weekend.”

Hoiberg has fond memories of Nee, who once met with the Hoibergs for an in-home recruiting visit when Fred was trying to decide where to play his college ball. At the time, Hoiberg was very interested in the Big Red, especially because he also had a scholarship offer from Tom Osborne to play football.

Hoiberg also said he’s expecting around 200 former Husker basketball players to be in attendance, too.

“To get those guys back in here, it’s important,” Hoiberg said. “It’s important to have your alumni feel like they’re part of the program. We’re going to be recognizing a really special group and a great person in Danny Nee. …Coach Nee was a really good recruiter. You can tell and see, going through that process, why he had so many good players here.”