Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa's Two Keys to Victory vs. No. 9 Nebraska

The Iowa Hawkeyes are eyeing their second win against a No. 9 ranked Nebraska team.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Feb 17, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) goes to the basket as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (rear) and guard Tavion Banks (6) defend during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Feb 17, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) goes to the basket as Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (rear) and guard Tavion Banks (6) defend during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

Back on February 17 the Iowa Hawkeyes shocked the world when they pulled off a 57-52 upset over No. 9 Nebraska.

That loss pushed the Cornhuskers out of the Top 10, though they've found a way to re-position themselves at No. 9 for the rematch.

Iowa remains unranked, though now they know their seed in the upcoming B1G Tournament.

As always, the goal is to build momentum going into not just the conference tournament, but the NCAA Tournament as well. That's something Iowa desperately needs as they're just 1-3 in their last four since the Nebraska matchup while the Cornhuskers are 3-1.

1. Second Chance Opportunities Change Everything

Ben McCollum's squad doesn't often win on the glass, but when they do they tend to win big. That's exactly what happened when the Cornhuskers came to Iowa City as the Hawkeyes out-rebounded them, 37-24. That's just one part of the story as Iowa grabbed 12 offensive rebounds compared to Nebraska's two.

Seeing as Iowa shot just 33% from the field, a clear indicator to their success relied on those second chance opportunities. Iowa knew they couldn't afford to let Nebraska get the best of them, so they did everything in their power to limit the Cornhuskers possessions and extend the ones of their own.

Nebraska had more assists, steals, fast break points, points in the paint, and shot eight percent better from the field, but none of that mattered as Iowa came out on top with a five-point victory.

2. Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks Do Their Thing

Banks grabbed a game high 10 rebounds against Nebraska the first time around. Four of those were offensive boards which certainly helped turn the tide as he had double the number of offensive rebounds than Nebraska had as an entire team.

The senior guard followed it up with a one-rebound game at Wisconsin. He grabbed just three against Ohio State but has combined for 13 in his last two games. The 10 rebounds he had against the Cornhuskers tied a season high, but it's something he must do again in the rematch.

To no surprise, Bennett Stirtz led all players with 25 points back on February 17. He shot just 8-22 from the field but that simply didn't matter as he was a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe.

Stirtz had more points than Nebraska's two leading scorers combined, and of course Iowa's defense deserves a ton of credit as well. At the end of the day there's simply no one on the court who can change the game like Stirtz can, and he's due as he hasn't dropped more than 23 points in his last four contests.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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