Pryce Sandfort and Nebraska take on transformed Iowa team in NCAA Tournament clash
Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort will face his former team when the Cornhuskers meet Iowa in the Sweet 16 Thursday night. Coach Fran McCaffery was fired after 15 seasons at Iowa at the end of last season, leading to a mass exodus of transfers, including Sandfort. Nebraska and Iowa have already played twice this season, but Sandfort isn’t sure what it will be like to go against the Hawkeyes in the tournament.
HOUSTON (AP) — Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort will face his former team when the Cornhuskers meet Iowa in the Sweet 16 Thursday night. The team he’ll see in this tournament barely resembles the one he played for last season. Coach Fran McCaffery was fired after 15 seasons at Iowa at the end of last season, leading to a mass exodus of transfers, including Sandfort.
Nebraska and Iowa have already played twice this season, but Sandfort isn’t sure what it will be like to go against the Hawkeyes in the tournament. “It’s not something I’m focused on,” Sandfort said Wednesday. “We’re treating the game as any other game.
Same approach as we’ve had all season and just kind of block out that outside noise. ” Just two players, Jacob Koch and Cooper Koch, remain on Iowa’s roster that played with Sandfort last season. Cooper became a starter this season while the four other members of the starting five are new after following coach Ben McCollum from Drake.
Jacob and Cooper, who are not related, both say they have kept in touch with Sandfort since his departure. “It’s going to be fun,” Cooper said. “It’s going to be a friendly rivalry.