The (8-4) Iowa Hawkeyes will visit the (7-6) Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday for a Big Ten conference matchup at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Hawkeyes, 1-0 on the road this season, lost two of their past three games. The Huskers, 5-1 at home, defeated Queens University in their past game. The Hawkeyes won both games between these teams last season and have won four straight in the series.
Tip-off is at 7:00 p.m. ET. Iowa is a four-point favorite, and the game total is 149 points.
Iowa is coming off a shocking upset loss as a 31-point favorite, falling 92-83 to Eastern Illinois. The Hawkeyes also dropped their first conference game of the season to Wisconsin two games prior. Getting back on track with Big Ten play ramping up won't be easy, especially with upcoming road games against Nebraska, Penn State, and Rutgers, plus a home game versus Indiana sandwiched in between.
Eastern Illinois picked up its fourth Power-Five conference win in program history over Iowa, scoring 55 second-half points to erase an eight-point halftime deficit. The Panthers also trailed 18-4 earlier in the ballgame but rallied, at least partially due to the Hawkeyes' cold shooting performance (38.9%). Iowa shot 7-for-33 from three (21.2%) and 20-for-32 from the free-throw line (62.5%).
One part steal, one part pass, one part dunk- our favorite holiday recipe ?????@patrickmccaff22 x #Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/Jj2od2V1ev— Iowa Men's Basketball (@IowaHoops) December 21, 2022
The Hawkeyes' only other losses this season were to TCU, Duke, and Wisconsin. In the overtime loss to the Badgers, Iowa played well enough to win but couldn't hold off their hot-shooting opponents, who shot 50.8 percent from the field. The Badgers' defense also made plays when it mattered, recording 12 steals.
Iowa is scoring 83.8 points per game this season, shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from three-point range. It's averaging the 17th-most rebounds per game (37.0). Iowa's offensive efficiency rating, adjusted for schedule, is the 10th-highest in the nation, per KenPom.
The Hawkeyes' defense surrenders 70.8 points on 44.0 percent shooting, including 30.2 percent from distance. Its adjusted defensive efficiency rating is ranked 102nd. Its' assist-to-turnover ratio (1.64) is the fifth-best.