3 reasons Iowa basketball will beat Nebraska in Sweet 16 bracket
Ahead of Iowa basketball's Sweet 16 matchup with Nebraska on Thursday night, we took a look at 3 reasons why the Hawkeyes can top the Huskers.
Iowa basketball is searching for its first Elite Eight appearance since 1987. To get there, the Hawkeyes will need to take down Nebraska on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of March Madness. Ben McCollum's team has surpassed expectations, busting brackets everywhere with its last-second victory over top-seed Florida in the Round of 32.
But can they keep that momentum rolling on Thursday night? Here are three reasons why Iowa will beat the Cornhuskers . More: Iowa basketball vs Nebraska live updates, latest news, bracket predictions, odds Ben McCollum is a proven winner The first-year Iowa head coach may be a new name for casual basketball fans, but die-hards around the nation know his resume well.
During his 15-season tenure at Division II Northwest Missouri State, he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments and four national titles. In his lone season at Drake, he guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament and pulled off an upset of 6-seed Missouri in the opening round before exiting the tournament with a loss to Texas Tech in the Round of 32. This is the biggest stage McCollum has ever coached on, with a chance to take Iowa to the Elite Eight, but throughout his career he has shown time and again that regardless of the stakes, he keeps his cool and leads his team to victories.
That is no better summed up than the Hawkeyes' monumental upset of the Gators in the Round of 32 last weekend. More: 'Party Like It’s 1999. ' Revisit life the last time Iowa made Sweet 16 Supporting cast is proving itself in crunch time For the majority of the season, it has been the Bennett Stirtz show in big moments for Iowa.