The Nebraska basketball team will play yet another historic game in what has been a historic season on Thursday night, and they'll be doing it against a team that is becoming one heck of a bitter rival very quickly. The Huskers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. with a chance to punch their ticket to the Elite 8 on the line.
NU has already gone further into the NCAA Tournament than they ever have before, having never won a game in the Big Dance (0-for-8) entering March. A blowout win over Troy and a last-second layup win over Vanderbilt have them facing off against Ben McCollum's boys for the third time this season.
Officially, Nebraska and Iowa split the season series with the Huskers losing 57-52 in Iowa City and then winning 84-75 in overtime in Lincoln. Conceivably, NU could have gone 2-0 against the Hawkeyes if they hadn't had their worst offensive game of the season when they visited their Big Ten rival. On the other hand, the Hawkeyes could have gone 2-0 if they'd hit one more bucket in regulation at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Thursday night is for all the bragging rights.
Nebraska basketball vs Iowa final Sweet 16 odds
Considering how close both games were this season, it's hardly a surprise that, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Huskers are just 1.5-point favorites despite this being a 4-seed vs. a 9-seed matchup. The total points for the game have been set at 131.5 this Thursday morning.Â
That means that oddsmakers not only see Nebraska and Iowa as a very close game, but it is also expected to be pretty low scoring. It's also worth noting that neither set of odds has moved much from earlier in the week. The spread has remained the same, but the total has dropped two points from earlier in the week, 133.5 over/under.
For comparison's sake, this spread is the smallest of any of the four games on Thursday and tied for the smallest of any game in the Sweet 16. Houston and Illinois, which is a much closer 2-seed vs 3-seed, have a spread of 2.5 points while Michigan State and UCONN (also 2 vs 3) are 1.5 points on Friday.
Nebraska vs Iowa final prediction
It would be truly awful if Iowa, of all teams, ended Nebraska's season, and not just because it would be a much lower seed pulling off the upset. That's why the Hawkeyes' upset of Florida was a bit bittersweet last week. It would have been easier to stomach a loss (should one come) to a 1-seed Gators squad. That's why the Huskers have no choice but to win.
Nebraska basketball wins a slugfest over Iowa, 65-60