Bennett Stirtz scored a game-high 25 points Tuesday night and Iowa gave its NCAA tournament hopes a big boost with a 57-52 upset of No. 9 Nebraska in Iowa City.
Cooper Koch added 10 for the Hawkeyes (19-7, 9-6 Big Ten), which overcame 17 of 51 shooting from the field to post their first win over a ranked team since 2024. Iowa helped itself by sinking 17 of 18 foul shots, including three by Stirtz with 36.1 seconds left that gave it a 53-47 lead.
Pryce Sandfort scored 13 points for the Cornhuskers (22-4, 11-4) in his return to Iowa, where he played the first two seasons of his career. Jamarques Lawrence added 11 but second-leading scorer Rienk Mast was held to eight points on 4 of 10 shooting.
Nebraska converted just 18 of 44 attempts from the field and was held 27 points under its season average. It also took a 37-24 hammering on the glass against an opponent that has not been a strong rebounding team this season.
Tavion Banks grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Hawkeyes and also sealed the outcome by making two free throws with 6.1 seconds left.
While Nebraska entered the game looking to build on a Saturday win over Northwestern, Iowa was figuratively licking its wounds after absorbing a 78-57 beating at home Saturday against Purdue in a game that wasn’t really that close.
The Hawkeyes clearly focused on defense in their preparation for this one because the Cornhuskers struggled to find good looks during a first half that saw them make only 9 of 21 attempts and commit six turnovers.
Iowa also had a hard time finding a rhythm offensively but finally got going late in the half. It ripped off 11 straight points and owned a 33-23 lead when Stirtz drilled a 3-pointer with 58 seconds remaining.
But Nebraska managed to steal momentum going to the break as Cale Jacobsen tossed in a 3-pointer just before the horn, cutting the margin to 33-28.
