Iowa basketball is searching for its first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. To get there, the Hawkeyes will need to take down Nebraska on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of March Madness.
Ben McCollum’s team has surpassed expectations, busting brackets everywhere with its last-second victory over top-seed Florida in the Round of 32. But can they keep that momentum rolling on Thursday night?
Here are three reasons why Iowa will beat the Cornhuskers.
Ben McCollum is a proven winner
The first-year Iowa head coach may be a new name for casual basketball fans, but die-hards around the nation know his resume well. During his 15-season tenure at Division II Northwest Missouri State, he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments and four national titles.
In his lone season at Drake, he guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament and pulled off an upset of 6-seed Missouri in the opening round before exiting the tournament with a loss to Texas Tech in the Round of 32.
This is the biggest stage McCollum has ever coached on, with a chance to take Iowa to the Elite Eight, but throughout his career he has shown time and again that regardless of the stakes, he keeps his cool and leads his team to victories. That is no better summed up than the Hawkeyes’ monumental upset of the Gators in the Round of 32 last weekend.
Supporting cast is proving itself in crunch time
For the majority of the season, it has been the Bennett Stirtz show in big moments for Iowa. There’s a good reason for that, as Stirtz, who started his career with McCollum at NW Missouri State, has been phenomenal. But in the rare off night for Stritz, it was tough for Iowa to get consistent production from its other players throughout the roster. That seems to be changing now.
In the second round win over Florida, Stirtz played far from his best game. He posted just 13 points in 40 minutes of play while shooting 5-for-16 from the field and 0-for-9 from deep. Stritz didn’t lead Iowa in any statistical category other than minutes played in the win.
Meanwhile, Tavion Banks led the way with 20 points, Alvaro Folgueiras (14 points) came clutch by getting Florida into foul trouble and, of course, drilling the game-winning 3-pointer with under five seconds remaining. Cooper Koch hit some momentum-swinging 3-pointers and tallied 12 points and three boards.
Iowa has done it before
The biggest reason why Iowa can take down Nebraska is that, well, it’s already done it once this season. The Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers have played twice so far this season, with each team claiming a victory on its own home floor.
On Feb. 17 in Iowa City, McCollum’s crew took down Nebraska, 57-52, thanks to a big night from Stirtz (25 points). With the supporting cast rolling along now, that should give the Hawkeyes confidence that they can take down their Big Ten foe for a second time.
In the loss Iowa suffered to Nebraska, it’s not like it was a demoralizing blowout, either. The Cornhuskers won, 84-75, in an overtime thriller. The Hawkeyes came back from an 11-point deficit to force overtime and, for large chunks of the game, outplayed the Huskers.
Iowa vs Nebraska prediction: March Madness Sweet 16
The Huskers and Hawkeyes split the season series, with each of them winning on thier home floors. This game, though, clearly has a lot more at stake than just a regular season Big Ten victory. Both games were very tight, with Nebraska’s win earlier this month in Lincoln going to overtime with a big Iowa comeback.
This game could really go either way, and regardless of the result, it would be historic. A win would earn Iowa its first trip to the Elite Eight since 1987. A victory for Nebraska would keep this historic March Madness run alive. Either way, the winner of this one will be just three wins away from a national title.
Iowa 68, Nebraska 65
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 3 reasons Iowa basketball will beat Nebraska in Sweet 16 bracket
Reporting by HawkCentral staff report, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
