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Fred Hoiberg has been caught on camera slapping the phone from an Iowa fan’s hand during a court storming in Iowa City. The Nebraska basketball coach reignited a sport-wide debate in the process.
Should court storming be allowed in college basketball?
The Cornhuskers travelled to face the Hawkeyes in conference play on Tuesday. Both teams are battling for positioning in the NCAA Tournament.
At last look, Nebraska was projected as a four-seed though it’d lost three of its last five games following a 20-0 start. Iowa, meanwhile, entered the contest on the eight-line.
In a low-scoring affair, the Hawkeyes squeaked past the Huskers, 57-52. Fans celebrated after landing the signature win, which led to a tense exchange in the handshake line.
Fred Hoiberg smacked an Iowa fan’s phone.
COURT STORM IN IOWA CITY 😱 @IowaHoops pull off a huge win against No. 9 Nebraska pic.twitter.com/Gx2TU07BG1
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 18, 2026
The scene was incredible as the court was quickly covered in black and yellow. In the top right corner of that clip, though, you can see the Nebraska basketball coach taking a swipe at someone rushing the floor.
As would be expected, different angles of the swat quickly surfaced on social media.
We all know Nebraska fans are toxic, but how could they not be when their own head coach sets the standard do all Nebraska fans endorse this? pic.twitter.com/96sqcQtHPy
— #HeckSzn (@TEUfanclub) February 18, 2026
An Iowa fan appears to hop over the scorer’s table and get into Hoiberg’s face to sarcastically say, “Nice game, buddy.” The coach lost his cool.
A third angle is provided on the From the Hawkeye of the Storm podcast, as is a full breakdown of the court-storming incident.
Should court storming be allowed?
To this point, Fred Hoiberg has not commented publicly on the matter. There are many following along that take no issue with his reaction.
He was baited, and he took it. A lot of others would do the same moments after a close loss.
That does not necessarily excuse the behavior, but it does prove the point of many opposed to court storming celebrations.
Coach, player, and fan safety should be the No. 1 priority. Clearly, that was not the case here. It’s the second major incident to occur this month in college basketball.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer, who has been a vocal opposition of court storming for years, claimed that one of his staff members was punched during UNC’s on-floor celebration earlier this season.
Video from that game also showed a Duke player swatting a phone from a Tar Heel fan’s hand, similar to what was seen in Iowa.
A few years back, the debate on court storming was the most discussed topic in the sport. It resulted in adjustments to security and end-of-game protocol as a means to best protect players and coaches.
Iowa was unable to keep fans and coaches separate. An ugly exchange occurred. It will be interesting to see the impacts it has moving forward.