Who’s playing
Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Iowa Hawkeyes
Current records: Nebraska 12-2, Iowa 10-4
How to watch
What you need to know
We have another exciting Big Ten matchup on the schedule as the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers are set to face off on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes know how to score points – the team has finished with 82 points or more in its last four contests – so hopefully the Cornhuskers like a good challenge.
Iowa heads into Tuesday’s game having posted an impressive 164.5 point over/under rating set for its last game against Wisconsin. It will take some time for Iowa to recover from Wisconsin’s 116-85 loss on Friday. The Hawkeyes’ loss marked the end of their three-game winning streak.
Iowa’s loss shouldn’t overshadow the performances of Drew Thelwell, who went 9 of 14 en route to 25 points plus four steals, and Josh Dix, who went 7 of 10 en route towards 16 points plus two interceptions. Payton Sandfort’s dreadful 0-5 three-point shooting was less helpful for Iowa.
Meanwhile, Nebraska entered Saturday’s game with five straight wins (a streak where they’ve outscored their opponents by an average of 18.8 points) and they came away with even more momentum. They started the new year with a 66-58 victory over the Bruins. The score was tied 24-24 at the break, but the Cornhuskers were the better team in the second half.
Several players had strong performances to lead Nebraska to victory, but perhaps none more than Sam Hoiberg, who had seven points to go along with three steals. Hoiberg struggled to find his footing against Southern U. last Monday, so this was a nice turnaround.
Iowa’s loss dropped its record to 10-4. As for Nebraska, they improved their record to 12-2 with the win, which was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season.
A high-performance offense is likely on the agenda, as both teams are among the highest-scoring teams in the league. Iowa has had no problem running up the score this season, averaging 89.4 points per game (they are ranked third overall). However, it’s not like Nebraska struggled in that department, as its average was 76.9. With both teams so easily able to rack up points, the only question that remains is who can run up the score.
As for their next game, Iowa is the favorite, as experts expect them to win by four points. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 7-3 against the spread when expecting to win.
Odds
Iowa is a 4-point favorite against Nebraska, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Hawkeyes, as the game opened with the Hawkeyes as 1.5-point favorites.
Oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and have pegged the over/under at a high of 159.5 points.
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History of the series
Iowa has won 6 of its last 10 games against Nebraska.
- January 12, 2024 – Iowa 94 vs. Nebraska 76
- March 5, 2023 – Nebraska 81 vs. Iowa 77
- December 29, 2022 – Nebraska 66 vs. Iowa 50
- February 25, 2022 – Iowa 88 vs. Nebraska 78
- February 13, 2022 – Iowa 98 vs. Nebraska 75
- March 4, 2021 – Iowa 102 vs. Nebraska 64
- February 8, 2020 – Iowa 96 vs. Nebraska 72
- January 7, 2020 – Nebraska 76 vs. Iowa 70
- March 10, 2019 – Nebraska 93 vs. Iowa 91
- January 6, 2019 – Iowa 93 vs. Nebraska 84
