As rumors swirl, Miles remains focused on what he can control

Roughly two hours before Nebraska was set to take on Butler in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night, an already tumultuous situation regarding Tim Miles’s future with the program got turned up another level.

Former Sports Illustrated writer and long-time Husker fan, Lars Anderson – who was out in front in reporting NU’s hiring of football coach Scott Frost – tweeted that his sources had told him Nebraska would hire former Iowa State and Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg to replace Miles.

Anderson took it further than anyone else had publicly by adding that the hiring was “firm and final.”

That likely contributed a bit to the emotional and passionate atmosphere inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, with 10,000-plus fans cheering as loudly as they had all season for a team with a six-man rotation trying to win its fourth game in nine days.

Once again, the Huskers overcame the odds and advanced to the NIT’s second round with a wild 80-76 victory.

After the game, Miles praised the effort, fight, and resiliency of his team like he had since their win over Iowa to close out the regular season. He then answered yet another question about his job status now that his seat was seemingly hotter than ever.

“I love coaching Nebraska,” Miles said. “It’s been a blessing to be the coach here… These are tough jobs, and it’s a big-boy job. I’m not evaluating the situation. It’s not fun to be talked about the way they’re doing it, but I’m just going to do my job, and that’s what you can do.

“I believe in our guys. We’re making strides, and we’re never quitting; we’re staying positive, we’re always fighting to the end. I feel like I’m on a campaign trail, and we’re going to keep doing it, no matter what.”

As they did in Chicago, Miles’s players offered up their support following the game. While the team and its five seniors obviously have their own reasons to keep this season going, the motivation of winning for their coach has become a top rallying force.

“I haven’t seen it affect him,” senior forward Tanner Borchardt said. “He’s been the same coach: lighthearted off the court and strictly business on the court, which is what we need. I enjoy being coached by him, and we just want to win it all for him. He deserves that.”