Likes, dislikes from Iowa basketball’s win over Nebraska

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.

Advertisement

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