Iowa vs. Nebraska Tactical Breakdown: 3 Ways Hawkeyes Can Beat Cornhuskers

For the third game in a row in the NCAA tournament, the Iowa Hawkeyes are the underdogs. For two straight matchups, head coach Ben McCollum’s squad has overcome the odds — the most recent victory being a historic and thrilling upset of the Florida Gators — and survived and advanced.

So, while the deck might be stacked against it once again versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers, there’s definitely an avenue for Iowa to win and move on to the Elite Eight.

There are several reasons why Iowa can pull this off, with vibes perhaps being at the forefront. How many other college basketball programs are in as good of a spot, vibe-wise, as the Iowa Hawkeyes?

The answer is not many. But vibes, while great, can’t be the only thing carrying a team to a victory in March Madness. Here are three tactical reasons why the Hawkeyes can beat the rival Cornhuskers.

Shut Down the 3-Pointer

Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort and Vanderbilt's Chandler Bin — Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort (21) celebrates a 3-point basket in front of Vanderbilt's Chandler Bing (7) during a second-round game in the NCAA men's basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday March 21, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cornhuskers love to shoot the ball beyond the arc. As a team, Nebraska is making 35.3% of its 3-pointers.

Forward Pryce Sandfort leads the way in that category at 41%. It’ll be his shooting that Iowa needs to limit the most. Against Troy, he lit it up with seven 3-pointers and 23 points. He contributed 15 more points, nine of which came from deep, in the Huskers’ win over the Vanderbilt Commodores in the second round, too.

If he has a cold shooting night, thanks to either excellent defense by the Hawkeyes or just plain bad luck on Sandfort’s part, then Iowa should be in a good spot.

Make Nebraska’s Defense Uncomfortable

This one might sound a little odd — after all, isn’t it usually the offense that’s made uncomfortable? Absolutely, but Iowa is going to need to figure out a way to flip that on its head and give the Cornhuskers some trouble defensively via great shooting by Bennett Stirtz and the rest of the supporting cast.

There’s no doubt that this will be a tough task. Nebraska ranks 15th in the country in total defense, allowing just 65.8 points per game. Getting anything past it will arguably be one of the hardest endeavors this team has had to accomplish so far this season. Yet it can be done, with the most glaring example being Iowa’s win over the Cornhuskers back in February.

Win the Marquee Matchup

Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) directs the offense against the Florida Gators in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Bennett Stirtz is Iowa’s no-doubt-about-it star player. As he goes, the Hawkeyes usually go. The same can’t really be said for Nebraska.

Sure, Sandfort leads the team in scoring, but there are other players who contribute a fair amount as well. Forward Rienk Mast contributes 13.5 points per game, while Braden Frager is right behind at 11.7. Jamarques Lawrence and Sam Hoiberg, son of head coach Fred Hoiberg, put up 9.8 and 9.4, respectively. That depth enables Nebraska to win in a variety of ways.

Conversely, the Hawkeyes require Stirtz to have a good performance. He had only 11 points in the last matchup between the two squads — had he put up more, there’s a chance that Iowa would have won instead of losing. It’ll be interesting to see how Stirtz plays in what could be the final game of his collegiate career.

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