Inside The Hawkeyes

Three Numbers That Stand Out From Iowa's Top 10 Win

The Iowa Hawkeyes found a way to snap numerous winless streaks vs. No. 9 Nebraska.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Iowa’s Cooper Koch (8), Kael Combs (11), Trey Thompson (20), Cam Manyawu (3) and Brendan Hausen (15) mob Bennett Stirtz (14) after the Hawkeyes defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 57-52 Feb. 17, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa’s Cooper Koch (8), Kael Combs (11), Trey Thompson (20), Cam Manyawu (3) and Brendan Hausen (15) mob Bennett Stirtz (14) after the Hawkeyes defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 57-52 Feb. 17, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Iowa Hawkeyes

It didn't come easy, but the Iowa Hawkeyes handled No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52.

Offense was at a premium in this one, but the Hawkeyes delivered on their promise of giving the fans at Carver a show.

Despite not living up to the expectations vs. No. 13 Purdue on Valentines Day, this team turned around and took care of business against one of their greatest rivals.

Fans stormed the court at CHA as they snapped numerous winless streaks against ranked opponents, most importantly ones ranked within the Top 10.

1. First Ranked Win Since February 17, 2024

It's been exactly two years since Iowa secured their first ranked win. This was something their football team was able to overcome at the end of the year in a bowl game, but now the men's basketball team is trending in the right direction.

After slipping up against No. 7 Michigan State, No. 4 Iowa State, No. 16 Illinois, and No. 5 Purdue, first year head coach Ben McCollum finally found a successfully recipe. It was far from the prettiest game in the world, but Iowa pulled out a five point win and that's all that matters.

Ben Stevens also noted this snapped a 13 game ranked winless streak. Time and time again Iowa was coming up short against top teams, but that is now behind them with a trio of ranked teams remaining.

2. First Top 10 Win Since March 13, 2022

Iowa won the B1G Championship in the 2021-22 season and a win over No. 9 Purdue helped make that possible. That year, the B1G Championship game saw Iowa overcome the Boilermakers, 75-66.

Keep in mind, that game was obviously played at a neutral site. While it may have helped their tournament seeding, they ended up losing in the first round anyways to No. 12 Richmond, 67-63.

3. First Top 10 Win At Home Since February 1, 2019

The court storm was well deserved as it's been seven years since Iowa pulled out a Top 10 win at home. Their game against Nebraska compared to this one against No. 5 Michigan were completely different. Back in 2019, they upset the Wolverines, 74-59.

Either way, it's been far too long since their home fans saw a win like this. No matter what the final score was, Iowa made history in multiple ways as they drowned the Cornhuskers in a game that may have changed everything.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.

Home/Basketball