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. 

In 2025, FirstGen Forward named UNL a “Champion Institution.” As a Champion Institution, UNL is part of a network of institutions committed to serving as role models for other institutions, sharing evidence-based practices and resources, generating knowledge and building upon our first-generation student success efforts.

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.

LINCOLN, Neb — Nebraskans are feeling more optimistic about the direction of their state than the direction of the nation, according to the latest Nebraska Snapshot, though fewer than half of respondents say either is on the right track.

The Nebraska Snapshot, released by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Bureau of Sociological Research, draws on seven Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Surveys conducted between early 2020 and November 2025 to track how public sentiment has shifted over time.

Negative attitudes about the direction of both the country and the state were highest during the pandemic and the years immediately after. The share of Nebraskans surveyed who said the country was headed in the wrong direction rose from 40% in early 2020 to 62% later that year, then peaked at 76% in 2022.

Views of the state’s direction were less negative but still showed increased pessimism. In early 2020, 11% of respondents said Nebraska was going in the wrong direction. That rose to 17% in late 2020 and peaked at 28% in 2024. In early 2020, 63% of those surveyed said the state was headed in the right direction, compared with 40% in 2024.

By 2025, optimism had rebounded. In the 2025 survey of 977 Nebraska adults, 41% said the state was headed in the right direction, 26% disagreed and about one-third were unsure. Views of the country were more negative: 31% said the nation was going in the right direction, 49% said it was going in the wrong direction and 20% were unsure.

The survey results also showed major differences by age and political party.

Among respondents ages 19-44, 61% said the country was headed in the wrong direction in the 2025 survey. That compares with 40% of those ages 45-64 and 48% of those 65 and older. Younger respondents were also less likely to say Nebraska was on the right track, with about one-third saying the state was headed in the right direction, compared with 45% of those ages 45-64 and 47% of those 65 and older.

Partisan differences were sharper. In the 2025 survey, 87% of Democrats and 59% of independents said the country was headed in the wrong direction, compared with 17% of Republicans. When asked about Nebraska, 21% of Democrats and 39% of independents said the state was headed in the right direction, while 57% of Republicans said the same.

Smaller differences appeared between male and female respondents. In 2025, 46% of men said the state was headed in the right direction and 38% said the country was headed in the right direction. Among women, 36% said the state was going in the right direction and 26% said the same about the country.

The Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey is used by researchers, state entities and policymakers and includes a core questionnaire covering demographics, quality of life measures, educational attainment and community satisfaction, among other topics. Those core questions help inform the Nebraska Snapshot series, which has previously examined issues such as internet access, finances and how Nebraskans feel about their health.