Nebraska Huskers Basketball

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have fired head basketball coach Tim Miles after seven seasons.

"Tim Miles is a good basketball coach who has put his heart, soul and energy into the Nebraska men's basketball program over the past seven years," Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos said in a statement on the team's official website.

"Ultimately, we have not maintained a level of consistent success and stability on the court, and after a full review I have made the decision to move in another direction for the leadership of our program."

Miles took to Twitter to offer his thoughts:

Miles went 116-114 while reaching the NCAA tournament just once during his seven years on the sideline in Lincoln. Nebraska went one-and-done in its lone NCAA tournament appearance under Miles, losing to Baylor in the Round of 64 back in 2013-14.

While an 11-2 start to this past season helped the Cornhuskers become ranked for the first time since since 2014-15, losing 15 of their final 23 games resulted in a 19-17 season. It marked the second consecutive year in which they were relegated to the NIT, where it was bounced by TCU in the second round.

Prior to Miles' arrival, the Cornhuskers were in the midst of a 14-year playoff drought. He wound up taking the team to the Big Dance in his second year on the job, but was unable to get it back there over the final five seasons.

Nebraska's 22 wins in 2017-18 were the most the program had recorded since 1990-91. However, the inability to truly build on that success proved costly.

Miles previously coached at Colorado State 2007 to 2012. While his 71-88 overall record may not stand out, he took the Rams from seven wins in his first season to 20 wins and an NCAA tournament berth in his final year.

Former Iowa State Cyclones and Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg is reportedly the frontrunner for the Nebraska Cornhuskers job if current coach Tim Miles is fired, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium. 

On Friday, Nebraska's athletic director Bill Moos said the school would make its evaluations on the program—which ostensibly includes determining Miles' future—once the season is over, per the Associated Press. The Cornhuskers are set to play in the NIT on Wednesday.

Nebraska—which at one point was ranked No. 24 overall—had a disappointing season, finishing 18-16 and just 6-14 in the Big Ten. In Miles' seven seasons as head coach, the Cornhuskers are just 115-113 and have only reached the NCAA tournament once and NIT twice.

Nebraska did suffer through injuries to players like Isaac Copeland, Thomas Allen and Amir Harris this season, and the argument could be made that the Cornhuskers were snubbed from the tournament last year when they finished 22-11 overall and 13-5 in the Big Ten.

But there's also an argument to be made that Miles earned his place on the hot seat and that a coach like Hoiberg would be a high-profile move for a program that traditionally has taken a backseat to football in Lincoln. 

Miles' players, to his credit, have stood by him:

"You can just look at our play," Isaiah Roby said during the Big Ten tournament, per Brian Hamilton of The Athletic. "I mean, if he wasn't the guy, I think we would've given up on him. And I don't think anybody has given up on him. Everybody in this locker room, we're playing hard for him and we're still accepting his challenges. We only got eight guys, and he's challenging us to win all five games."

His players aren't the only ones who have praised Miles:

Hoiberg arguably would be an upgrade, though. He went 115-56 in five seasons at Iowa State, reaching the NCAA tournament four times. And while his time in Chicago was less successful, he nonetheless brings NBA experience to the position. 

Perhaps Nebraska's two wins in the Big Ten tournament, along with a deep run in the NIT, would be enough to save Miles' job. But if Hoiberg has interest in the program, the Cornhuskers would be justified in exploring that option.