Iowa men's basketball vs. Nebraska: 3 keys to March Madness win
· Yahoo Sports
The Iowa men's basketball team is riding the high of its biggest win this century. But they'll need to turn the page quickly, as a date with rival Nebraska waits for them in the Sweet 16.
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The Hawkeyes' win over Florida will be a game that fans talk about for years. Everyone will have a story about where they were when Alvaro Folgueiras knocked down the game-winning three and Iowa stunned the top-seeded Gators to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 27 years. Now this team has a chance to continue its miracle run against a familiar foe.
The Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers met twice during Big Ten play this season, with each team claiming victory on its home court. Iowa won 57-52 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on February 17, which incited a court-storming and some postgame antics. Nebraska returned the favor on March 8 in Lincoln, winning the game 84-75 in overtime. And now with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line, these two conference and border rivals will settle the score once and for all.
One game for all the bragging rights. The winner keeps their magical season alive, while the loser will start the offseason earlier than they want. What do the Hawkeyes need to do to ensure they're on the winning side of this game down in Houston? Here are the three keys to victory for Iowa against Nebraska.
Bennett Stirtz must bounce back
Bennett Stirtz has been the heartbeat of this team all season long. However, he's struggled a little bit recently. Stirtz hasn't eclipsed 20 points in any of Iowa's last five games. In the first two games of the NCAA Tournament, he scored a combined 29 points on 9-33 (27%) shooting from the field, including just 3-19 (16%) from behind the arc. He shot 47.8% from the field and 35.9% from three on the season. He's due for a bounce-back game.
That game needs to be on Thursday against Nebraska. When Iowa beat the Cornhuskers last month, it was Stirtz who led the way with 25, scoring nearly half of the Hawkeyes points. With the supporting cast riding a wave of confidence at the moment, if Stirtz can find his shooting stroke, Iowa will be a difficult out. He's been so good all season long. It feels like a big performance is coming soon for the future NBA draft pick.
Contain Pryce Sandfort
Similar to the Hawkeyes, Nebraska relies heavily on one guy to consistently deliver offensively: Pryce Sandfort. The former Hawk has fit like a glove in Fred Hoiberg's system, averaging nearly 18 points a game this season. Nebraska goes as Sandfort goes. The Cornhuskers have only lost one game all season when Sandfort scores more than 15 points. He has to be priority number one for Ben McCollum's team on the defensive end.
That's not to disparage what the supporting cast at Nebraska has done. They're certainly no slouches and are capable of winning games on their own, just like Iowa's group. But if you slow down Sandfort and make him uncomfortable, there's a good chance the Hawkeyes are in a spot to win this game.
Control the emotions
Emotions are going to be running high in this game. Both programs are coming off high-intensity wins against an SEC powerhouse in the last round. Both teams are looking to continue their historical tournament runs. And this is a natural rivalry that's had a lot of extra fuel added to it this season. It's going to be chippy. Neither team is going to back down. But the Hawkeyes need to ensure that they don't let their emotions get the best of them.
In what figures to be a tight, low-scoring contest, the last thing you want to do is pick up a silly technical foul that swings momentum. Or get involved in a scrum that leads to flagrants. The more disciplined team will be the one that leaves Houston victorious. The key for the Hawks is to stay grounded and forget about what's happened up to this point. If they play their game for 40 minutes, they can beat this team and keep dancing into the Elite Eight.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa men's basketball vs. Nebraska: 3 keys to March Madness win