The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet Thursday in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 college basketball action from Toyota Center in Houston. Here’s a Nebraska vs Iowa prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Nebraska vs. Iowa pick.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Preview
The Cornhuskers rolled through their first 20 games this year on an undefeated clip, but then lost to Michigan, Illinois, Purdue and Iowa in the next six games. Nebraska closed out the regular season on a 4-1 run with wins over Penn State, Maryland, USC and Iowa, but then lost in their first outing of the Big Ten Tournament to Purdue. The Huskers have since beaten Troy and Vanderbilt in the national tourney.
In the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament versus Vanderbilt on Saturday, the Cornhuskers were sitting in the locker room with a 39-32 edge. Nebraska was outscored 40-35 the rest of the way but still held on for a tight last-second win 74-72 in the end. Both Pryce Sandfort (five rebounds; two assists) and Braden Frager (five rebounds; two assists) each had a team-high 15 points in the victory effort.
Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview
Over on the Hawkeyes’ side, they were looking pretty good in early February with an 18-5 record. Iowa limped to the finish line with a 2-6 run over the next eight however, losing to Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan and Nebraska. After a win over Maryland and a loss to Ohio State in the conference tournament, the Hawkeyes beat Clemson and Florida in the next pair.
Matched up against number-one-ranked Florida in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, the Hawkeyes held a slim 33-31 edge going into the second half. Iowa was outscored by a point, 41-40 the rest of the way but held on for the epic win, 73-72 in the end. Tavion Banks topped the team scorers with 20 points, six boards, one assist and one steal. Alvaro Folgueiras added 14 points with five rebounds.
Why the Nebraska Cornhuskers will win
- Nebraska has won each of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
- Iowa has lost 16 of its last 18 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Iowa has lost the first half in each of its last seven Thursday games played at neutral venues.
Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win
- Nebraska has lost seven of its last eight games against Conference opponents at neutral venues.
- Iowa has won each of its last four night games played at neutral venues.
- Iowa has won the first half in four of its last five night games.
Total Points: Facts
- Each of Iowa’s last 11 games against Conference opponents at neutral venues have produced a total of 139+ points.
- Each of Nebraska’s last eight night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue has produced a total of 150+ points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Five different Nebraska players are averaging double-digit points per game during this season’s NCAA Tournament—equal to the most of any team.
- Nebraska has recorded the equal-fewest blocks in a single game (0) during this season’s NCAA Tournament (vs. Vanderbilt).
- Iowa ranks 365th among Division 1 teams for pace this season (62.2).
- Five different Iowa players are averaging double-digit points per game during this season’s NCAA Tournament—equal to the most of any team.
Iowa vs Nebraska Prediction
I’ll stick with Iowa. The Hawkeyes busted countless brackets with their upset win over Florida on Sunday. Iowa shot a very nice 51 percent from the field with a slim edge in both rebounding (24-22) and points in the paint (32-30) alongside only nine turnovers. The Hawkeyes didn’t shoot great from the line at 63.6 percent (14-of-22) however, and gave up 50 percent shooting to the Gators from the field. Iowa faces a familiar conference foe here in the Huskers; these teams split the season series. The Hawkeyes got a 57-52 win on February 17 at home, and Nebraska returned the favor 84-75 in overtime at home on March 8.
Speaking of Nebraska, they played a very tight game in the second half versus Vanderbilt and had just enough gas in the tank to win. The Cornhuskers shot a nice 55.8 percent from the field in that one while giving up 41.4 percent on the other side. Nebraska did have a 38-22 advantage in the paint but also got outmuscled on the boards 29-26. The Huskers are 6-2 in their last eight games, scoring 74 or more points in all the wins—but just 112 combined in the two losses. If the offense isn’t clicking immediately here, Nebraska will be in trouble. Still, given how well these teams know each other, this should be a tight game and a lot of fun to watch.