Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg diagnosed with cold after leaving game early for hospital

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg left Wednesday’s opening-round loss in the Big Ten tournament early after feeling ill and was taken to the hospital, according to multiple reports.

Hoiberg left Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis before Nebraska fell to Indiana, 89-64. After the game, Nebraska players reportedly did not immediately leave the area.

Nebraska later issued a statement on Twitter explaining what happened.

“Before tonight’s Nebraska-Indiana men’s basketball game in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg was checked by medical personnel,” the university said in the statement. “Hoiberg became ill as the game progressed and left the bench area late in the second half for precautionary reasons. Hoiberg was subsequently transported to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis for further evaluation. Hoiberg was diagnosed with influenza A (common cold) and has since been released and returned to the team hotel.”

Hoiberg released a statement Thursday offering more details about what happened:

The Big Ten is closing the rest of the tournament to fans over fears of exposure to the coronavirus.

Hoiberg has a history of heart problems. In April 2015, he underwent surgery to replace a failing bicuspid aortic heart valve. Prior to the surgery, he experienced fatigue and shortness of breath.

Hoiberg coached the Chicago Bulls for more than three seasons before taking over Nebraska’s program last year. Prior to his stint with the Bulls, he worked in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office before coaching Iowa State’s men’s basketball team for five seasons.

Indiana coach Archie Miller chose to send his players back to the hotel instead of to interview room after hearing the news about the NBA suspending its season over concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

“I think, once you start getting the news that we got after the game, I think right now for our players, it’s let’s get cleaned up, let’s get out of here, and let’s get back to the hotel where we can keep our group kind of tight and move forward with tomorrow,” he said. “They’re not going to have a whole lot of answers about what’s going on anyway.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.