Iowa will try to get back on track when it faces No. 7 Nebraska in a Big Ten Conference game on Tuesday night in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Hawkeyes (18-7, 8-6 Big Ten) have lost two in a row, most recently falling 78-57 at home to Purdue on Saturday. Iowa’s point total versus the Boilermakers was 20 fewer than its season average.
“They kicked our butt,” Hawkeyes first-year coach Ben McCollum said. “It’s a part of the process, but I don’t like it, I haven’t had that happen in a lot of years. It’s humbling and it’s sometimes good for the soul.”
McCollum, who went 31-4 at Drake last season, already has surpassed Iowa’s win total from last season. Five of its losses have come against ranked opponents, with the Hawkeyes losing their last 13 games against top-25 foes.
Nebraska (22-3, 11-3) is coming off a 68-49 home win over Northwestern, marking just its second win in the last five games after a 20-0 start. However, the 68 points scored were the second-lowest total this season for the Cornhuskers, who average 79.4 points per game.
“It’s not always gonna go pretty on that end of the floor,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Obviously this is two games in a row where we had double-digits turnovers. I hope it’s not becoming a problem with taking care of the ball, with 14 and 18 turnovers.”
Junior Pryce Sandfort has led Nebraska’s scoring from the 3-point line. He has made 88 three-pointers this season on 40.2% shooting, and with two more will break the school record set by Cary Cochran in 2001-02.
Iowa allows the fewest perimeter shots per game (6.4) in Big Ten play, while Purdue makes an average of 11 three-pointers per game.
The Hawkeyes are led by senior Bennett Stirtz, a 20.4-point scorer per game who came over from Drake with McCollum. Stirtz also shoots 40.3% from 3-point range and has three 30-point games in Big Ten competition.
Iowa’s defense has slipped recently, with the last four opponents shooting at least 46% and scoring 70 or more points. The Hawkeyes remain third in Big Ten play by allowing 69.7 points per game, but that’s largely due to their slow pace as they rank near the bottom of the league in shooting defense.
“I don’t think our guards are guarding very well,” McCollum said.
Rebounding will be crucial in this game since neither team is particularly strong at it. Both struggle on the offensive boards, and Iowa also has difficulty limiting second-chance opportunities.
It stands to reason Nebraska will focus on Stirtz, who averages 23.3 points and 37.3 minutes in Big Ten games, while Tavion Banks is the only other Hawkeye scoring in double figures in conference competition.
Nebraska has five players scoring at least 10 per night in league action, with guard Sam Hoiberg coming off a 14-point, seven-rebound, five-assist, four-steal performance against Northwestern.
