No conference travels across the country in the regular season more than the Big Ten, leading to updated travel schedule rules that continue to upset coaches. Nebraska head basketball coach Fred Hoiberg became the latest to voice his frustration after his team's loss to UCLA on Tuesday night.
Following the loss, Nebraska has five days before its regular-season finale against Iowa on Sunday, a game it needs to win if it wants any chance of stealing the No. 2 seed from Michigan State before beginning the Big Ten Tournament.
With so much on the line, Hoiberg is frustrated that his team will lose a day of preparation due to the Big Ten travel schedule rule set. He slammed the mandatory day off rule as “ridiculous” and urged the conference to remove it.
“We're gonna watch film tomorrow, do our stations, do our walkthrough because we have to take Thursday off, which is ridiculous,” Hoiberg said after the game, via HuskerOnline. “This travel schedule — they need to change that rule. It is what it is. We'll get back and get to work right away.”
NCAA rules mandate that every team give its players at least one day off per week. A travel day cannot count as a day off, meaning Nebraska has to take Thursday off after returning from a two-game West Coast road trip.
Hoiberg might not like it, but Nebraska could benefit from a day off. The Huskers looked sluggish in their 72-52 loss to UCLA, shooting just 38.8 percent from the floor and committing 13 turnovers.
Nebraska is currently a half-game behind Michigan State for second in the Big Ten, with the tournament beginning on March 10. The Huskers' 14-5 conference record is tied with Illinois, against whom they own the tiebreaker.
