Round three. Nebraska and Iowa will meet for a third time this season, this time at a neutral site in Houston, Texas. The stakes are at an all-time high. The anticipation has started already.
The two faced off twice in the regular season, each time the team with home court advantage walked away with a win.
“Iowa is a really good team, they just beat a Florida team who’s as physical as anybody in the country,” senior guard Sam Hoiberg said on Monday to the media. “We know it’s going to be a war, be ready to bring your hard hat.”
Nebraska (28-6) had two exhilarating NCAA Tournament wins in the first rounds and will look to carry on momentum into the Sweet 16 against a very familiar opponent. A dominant win over Troy and an all-time thriller, capitalized by redshirt freshman Brader Frager, clinched the Huskers’ first Sweet 16 appearance in program history.
“I’m excited we’re still competing and we’re still playing,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said Monday to the media. “Now comes the anxiety of who we’re playing and how we’re going to get a game plan in a short amount of time, go out there and trust in your players to execute it.”
How did Iowa get to this point?
The Hawkeyes (23-12) are coming off two great performances in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament with wins over Clemson and top-seeded Florida.
“The team is playing really well, I think they’re playing their best stretch of basketball of the season right now,” Fred Hoiberg said. “We’re going to have to have a great couple days of preparation to get ourselves ready.”
Iowa took down Clemson on Friday, March 20, in the first round, 67-61, thanks to three Hawkeyes who finished in double-figures.
Although the Hawkeyes advanced to the second weekend, senior guard Bennett Stirtz struggled in both wins, shooting a combined 9-for-31 from the field and 3-for-19 from deep. Iowa out-rebounded the Tigers, 40-27, 10 of which came from junior forward Cam Manyawu.
On the other hand, Florida was projected to contend and win back-to-back titles, just like UConn did in 2023 and 2024, but the Hawkeyes had other plans. Junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras cashed in a corner 3-pointer to give Iowa a one-point lead with 4.5 seconds left, which Florida never recovered from. Iowa escaped with a 73-72 win in Tampa.
The Gators certainly had the size advantage, but Iowa kept up, as both teams grabbed 27 boards respectively. Most notably, senior guard Tavion Banks posted 20 points in the second round game. Banks did not start against Nebraska on March 8, but shot 4-of-5 from the floor, off the bench, for 12 points.
“I was so impressed with their NCAA games, with the way they went out there, played and executed,” Fred Hoiberg said. “Just played really flawless basketball, so we’re going to have to be on point.”
Important takeaways from first two matchups
In the regular season, Iowa and Nebraska squared off twice. Iowa won in Iowa City and Nebraska won in Lincoln. Now, the two Big Ten teams will go head-to-head without “home court advantage.”
The Huskers’ 52 points in Iowa City marked their lowest point total all year, as they shot sub-40 percent from the field, while committing 12 turnovers. Nebraska struggled to grab boards in Iowa City, as it completed the first half with only six rebounds, ultimately finishing with 24. The Hawkeyes pulled down 37 in the contest, which led to eight second-chance points.
Another massive discrepancy in the contest on Feb. 17 was the free-throw differential. The Hawkeyes converted 17 free throws on 18 attempts. Meanwhile, Nebraska shot 11-for-14 from the stripe. The Hawkeyes walked away with a 57-52 win, as fans stormed Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
As many expected, the tides switched in Lincoln. On Nebraska’s Senior Day on March 8, the Huskers came out roaring, but allowed Iowa to get back into the game down the stretch — forcing overtime. Nebraska squeezed out the win in overtime, 84-75, thanks to standout shooting in the extra period.
Who will be an “X” factor?
After a disappointing outing from junior guard Cale Jacobsen against Vanderbilt, he must bounce back and be prepared for Iowa. He was the deciding factor in the two teams’ most recent bout, in overtime. The Ashland, Nebraska, native scored six points in the extra five minutes, connecting on both of his attempts from outside, both of which were assisted by Sam Hoiberg.
Frager is currently riding a high that may be the best feeling in all of sports. A game-winning shot. Sure, there were 2.2 seconds on the clock, and a near iconic moment at the horn from Tyler Tanner’s heave, but Frager was the hero.
“You just see the confidence, that kid, and the swagger he could play with,” Fred Hoiberg said. “We need that. I talked about that. We need that guy who’s going to go out there and play with an edge. Braden has provided that.”
Stirtz put up 25 in Iowa City, but was held to 11 in Lincoln. The first-team All-Big Ten player is averaging 19.7 points per game. The Huskers made changes to their defensive approach to emphasize the Hawkeyes’ key player, a future NBA lottery pick. Expect Stirtz to perform at a high level offensively, but also be prepared for Nebraska’s assistant coach, Nate Loenser, to have a strategy ready to contain him.
Redshirt freshman Cooper Koch was inevitable in the team’s most recent battle, as he drilled six 3-pointers on 12 attempts, for 18 points. He made four against Florida on Sunday night. Koch is an absolute threat from 3-point land, so Nebraska can’t allow him to get many looks.
“Stirtz being one of the most dangerous players in the country, the way Koch is shooting the ball,” Fred said Monday. “It’s two teams that I think are playing good basketball right now, and it should be an exciting game on Thursday night.”
Game information
Nebraska will tip off against Iowa on Thursday, March 27, 2026, for a spot in the Elite Eight inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The game will be broadcast on TBS and truTV at 6:45 p.m. CST.
“It’s a little bit higher pressure, but we’ve been playing basketball for so long,” Sam said. “It’s still basketball, I’m excited.”
Eli Rodriguez is a men’s basketball beat writer at The Daily Nebraskan. Follow him on X at @efrodriguez23.