Finally, Iowa has their big win.

In what can only be described as a rugby match played on a basketball court, Iowa outdueled ninth-ranked Nebraska Tuesday night, 57-52, to land the biggest win of the Ben McCollum era to date.

Iowa was again led by Bennett Stirtz, who finished with 25 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in his customary 40 minutes of action. Nebraska briefly tied the game at 45 late in the second half on a Rienk Mast layup, but Stirtz saved his best for last, scoring 10 of Iowa’s final 14 points over the last 7:06 of game time to guide Iowa to their 19th win of the campaign.

The first half was back-and-forth, with neither team able to take hold on the game. Iowa did break the back-and-forth nature of the contest late in the first half and briefly took control, with the Hawks converting at the foul line and Alvaro Folgueiras knocking down a big 3 to briefly extend Iowa’s lead to 9. After a basket from former Hawk Pryce Sandfort cut the lead back down to 7, Stirtz – had to be him – made a 3 with just under a minute remaining in the first half to push the lead into double-digits, 33-23.

But Nebraska’s a tough team – they aren’t a super athletic team but they work hard on defense and they get great looks over and over; sounds awfully similar to this Iowa team – and they closed on a small run to cut the lead to 33-28 at half on a Cale Jacobsen 3 at the buzzer.

The second half can only be described as a rugby scrum. If I wanted to watch rugby scrums, I’d pirate a Six Nations feed off Sky and watch that. The whistles were out in full force against the home team early in the half – Iowa gets by far the worst home whistle in a power conference as officials constantly fell for flailing arms and head bobs, particularly from Jamarques Lawrence – but they disappeared late in the game as everything fell into under-the-rim chaos. The second half was about as physical a half of basketball as I can remember, with Nebraska slowing clawing their way back into the game and leading for two brief moments at 41-39 and 43-41.

First it was Stirtz to tie the game at 41, then Tate Sage scoring on a putback to get Iowa level again. It ended with the Stirtz Show down the stretch, highlighted by a massive Sam Hoiberg error in the final 36 seconds as he fouled Stirtz on a 3-point attempt, as Iowa finally found their way to a huge win to end their short-lived 2-game skid and cemented their NCAA Tournament bid.

Up next for Iowa is a date with No. 24 Wisconsin in Madison Sunday afternoon.

IOWA CITY — Iowa men’s basketball defeated No. 9 Nebraska 57-52 on Feb. 17 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with 25 points and Cooper Koch added 10 as the Hawkeyes tallied their first victory against a ranked team in the Ben McCollum era. The Hawkeyes handed Nebraska just their fourth loss this season.

The Hawkeyes improved to 19-7 and 9-6 in Big Ten play. The Huskers are 22-4 and 11-4.

Here are likes and dislikes from the game.

Likes

• Bennett Stirtz’s effort: It wasn’t Stirtz’s most efficient game. He scored 25 points on 8-of-22 from the field. But so much of the playmaking and scoring burden was on his shoulders. He also spent a substantial amount of time guarding Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska’s leading scorer. Just an incredible showing of determination by Stirtz.
• Stirtz in crunch time: Stirtz was the best player on the floor down the stretch and willed the Hawkeyes to victory.
• Rebounding: Iowa’s work on the glass played an important part in the game. The Hawkeyes dominated on the boards, outrebounding Nebraska 37-24.
• Offensive rebounding: This category was 12-2 in favor Iowa. This came up big in crunch time. The Hawkeyes didn’t capitalize them as much as they could’ve but still outscored Nebraska 8-4 in second-chance points.
• Defense: The Hawkeyes were smothering on the defensive end. Nebraska was held to just 41% from the field and 21% from deep. The Cornhuskers also turned it over 12 times. Nebraska was held to a season-low 52 points. Their previous low was 58 against Michigan State.
• Limiting Pryce Sandfort: The former Hawkeye wasn’t totally shut down, scoring 13 points, but Iowa made life difficult on him and held him below his season average. Sandfort only got up seven shots from the field and was 2-of-6 from deep. Credit to Stirtz for helping contain Sandfort.
• Free throws: The Hawkeyes took advantage of their opportunities at the charity stripe, shooting 17-of-18 from the free-throw line.
• Tavion Banks: He was great on the boards, hauling in a team-high 10 rebounds. He also scored six points. Iowa coach Ben McCollum said Banks was “probably the unsung hero.”
• Signature win: Iowa picks up its first signature win of the Ben McCollum era. This is a resume-building victory for the Hawkeyes with the NCAA Tournament on the horizon.

Video: Ben McCollum reacts to Iowa basketball’s win over Nebraska

Ben McCollum meets with media after Iowa basketball’s 57-52 win over Nebraska.

Dislikes

• Turnovers: Iowa had been taking care of the ball incredibly well, but that wasn’t the case against Nebraska. The Hawkeyes turned the ball over 12 times. Nine of those came in the first half. That was the first time since Jan. 28 against USC that Iowa’s turnovers were in double-figures.
• Offense: Another rough showing by Iowa’s offense, which struggled for the third game in a row. The Hawkeyes shot just 33% from the field and 26% from deep. Pretty brutal game shooting for the Hawkeyes.
• Not enough help outside of Stirtz: There were contributions sprinkled in here and there. Cooper Koch had 10 points and Alvaro Folgueiras had seven. But so much of the scoring and playmaking burden was on Stirtz.

Video: Bennett Stirtz, Cooper Koch react to Iowa’s win over Nebraska

Bennett Stirtz and Cooper Koch meet with media after Iowa basketball’s 57-52 win over Nebraska.

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Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

First Generation Nebraska is seeking applications from University of Nebraska-Lincoln students, faculty, staff and alumni who wish to serve as members of the First Generation Nebraska Advisory Board. The board meets three times a semester during the academic year to provide feedback to the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor’s Office regarding how to best support first-generation students, staff and faculty.

In addition, board members commit to active participation in First Generation Nebraska events and pledge to co-lead and support first-gen initiatives. The term of service is for two consecutive academic years. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 27.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s First Generation Nebraska initiative helps first-generation college scholars connect with first-gen faculty and staff advocates to establish a sense of community and belonging on campus and provide students with the support they need to persist to graduation. Established in 2017 by the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, First Generation Nebraska distributes buttons, t-shirts and office placards to promote first-gen visibility, organizes networking and social receptions and provides professional development workshops and book clubs for faculty and staff on supporting first-generation scholars’ needs. 

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For questions, contact First Gen Nebraska Advisory Board co-chairs Steven Jara, deputy director and deputy state forester, Nebraska Forest Service, or Amy Goodburn, senior associate vice chancellor and dean of undergraduate education.