Iowa’s Sweet 16 Shock
Iowa stunned Nebraska 77–71 to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987 — the Hawkeyes committed just five turnovers in the win. ( )
Bennett Stirtz played the full 40 minutes, finishing with 20 points and four assists on 7-of-15 shooting. (hawkeyesports.com) Tate Sage posted a career-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds while hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range. (hawkeyesports.com) Alvaro Folgueiras scored 16 points and delivered a late three-point play; he also had a dunk with 34 seconds remaining that helped seal the sequence. (espn.com.au) Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort led all scorers with 25 points, drilling six 3-pointers, and the Cornhuskers finished the season 28-7 — a single-season win total the program recorded this year. (espn.com.au) Iowa didn’t take its first lead until the closing minutes: Stirtz hit a buzzer 3 as the shot clock expired to make it 68-65, and Sage’s immediate follow-up 3 pushed the margin to six with roughly 80 seconds left. (hawkeyesports.com) Head coach Ben McCollum is in his first season at Iowa after a 15-year run at Northwest Missouri State that included four Division II national championships and a one-season stint at Drake, and the Hawkeyes will next face the winner of Houston vs. Illinois for a berth in the Final Four. (hawkeyesports.com)
