After knocking off No. 1-seeded Florida in the biggest upset of 2026 March Madness to this point, the Hawkeyes are getting ready to get back in action against a very familiar opponent. As fate would have it, the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers are renewing their rivalry in the Sweet 16 for the third matchup of the year, with a trip to the Elite 8 up for grabs. With the teams splitting the regular-season series, ESPN examined the keys for Iowa to win this game.
How Iowa can advance to the Elite Eight: Unlike most other Sweet 16 matchups, we have evidence on how Iowa can beat Nebraska (and vice versa). When the Hawkeyes beat the Cornhuskers on Feb. 17, Bennett Stirtz was relatively inefficient but still finished with 25 points in willing Iowa to a win. When the Hawkeyes lost to the Cornhuskers in the regular-season finale, he finished with 11 points on 10 shots. In the NCAA tournament, Stirtz has received plenty of help from his supporting cast, with Alvaro Folgueiras averaging 14.0 in two wins and Tavion Banks scoring 20 against Florida.
Defensively, the Hawkeyes have to avoid fouling. They ranked last in the Big Ten in defensive free throw rate, and there was a noticeable gap in free throw attempts in the two games against Nebraska. When Iowa won, it was plus-6 at the free throw line. When Nebraska won, Iowa was minus-10. – ESPN
How Nebraska can advance to Elite Eight: Nebraska picked up its first NCAA tournament win in program history Thursday, then doubled its total in drama-filled fashion Saturday. What will the Cornhuskers need to do to win a third — against a team they split the regular-season series with during Big Ten play? Their success all year has been primarily predicated on two factors: 3-point shooting and defense.
They rank top 15 nationally in 3-pointers made per game, 3-point attempt rate and percentage of points generated off 3-pointers. They have four players who made 50 or more 3s this season, and they’ll likely have to make double-digit 3s to win next week. When they beat Iowa on Feb. 17, they made 10 3s. When they lost, they were 5-for-24. Nebraska led the Big Ten in adjusted defensive efficiency, holding opponents to below 30% from 3-point range and forcing turnovers on nearly 20% of possessions. The Cornhuskers had far more success against Iowa when they forced Stirtz into a tough outing. – ESPN
Hear the game on AM860 and FM 95.1 KWPC at 630 p.m. Thursday night. Coverage brought to you by Muscatine Power and Water.
