Nebraska at No. 5 Iowa

Nebraska Cornhuskers (seven-seventeen, 3-fourteen) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (eighteen-seven, 12-six)

Thursday, Mar. 4, 2021 – eight p.m. CT

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Tv set: BTN

Radio: Husker Sports activities Network

Net: FOX Sports activities Application

one. Go on the chemistry

Nebraska’s offensive circulation, cohesiveness, and ball motion have been as excellent more than the earlier two game titles as we have observed all year.

You can find a immediate correlation involving that advancement and the absence and now the departure of Teddy Allen, whose perform design and style expected this kind of a large quantity of shots that it just about became a roadblock for NU’s offense achieving its total likely.

But it also had to do with the promotions of senior Thorir Thorbjarnarson and Kobe Webster into the setting up lineup. People two have been instrumental in creating remarkable spacing and passing in the past two wins.

Probably much more than something, though, Trey McGowens has emerged as the key position guard and the clear leader on the flooring. In his 12-position, 5-support performance in opposition to Rutgers, McGowens controlled everything Nebraska did with the ball.

Establishing position identification has been a wrestle for the Huskers all year, but they now last but not least seem to be coming alongside one another. Better late than by no means.

two. Preserve Garza in test

Iowa senior Luka Garza has been the ideal write-up player in the region for the earlier two seasons, and he’ll have every possibility to receive his next straight Large 10 Participant of the 12 months honor.

He’s the next-foremost scorer in the nation at 24.3 details per game, and he attacks in different means. Not only is the six-foot-eleven, 265-pound Garza taking pictures 55 per cent from the industry, but he’s also hitting forty six per cent from at the rear of the arc with 35 manufactured threes.

Merely set, the Huskers must do everything they can to make anyone else on the Hawkeyes have to beat them.

The excellent news is that approach worked to in close proximity to perfection in NU’s house gain more than Iowa past year. Garza however finished up with sixteen details and eighteen rebounds, but the Hawkeyes shot just 4-of-33 (12.one per cent) on 3-pointers and only bought to the free-toss line 5 instances.

Nonetheless, the rematch in Iowa Metropolis was the full reverse of what Nebraska desired to take place. Garza however bought his with 22 details, but Joe Weiskamp dropped a job-large 30 though Iowa shot forty nine per cent from the industry and knocked down eleven 3-pointers.

Nebraska’s only possibility is to continue to keep Garza from getting the game more than though also hoping his teammates have an off-night time.

3. Deliver the defensive depth

Nebraska may possibly not see a much more strong offensive opponent this year than it will in opposition to Iowa tonight.

The Hawkeyes arrived in foremost the Large 10 and rated fifth nationally with eighty four.six details per game and rank third in the meeting in industry goal share (forty nine.one%).

They also direct the league in 3-position taking pictures (forty.one%), assists per game (eighteen.nine), and support-to-turnover ratio (one.99-to-one).

That mentioned, Nebraska has been actively playing some of its ideal workforce defense of the year lately.

The Huskers currently rank 33rd nationally in altered defensive efficiency at ninety two.five details allowed per one hundred belongings. That stands as the greatest ranking at any time by a Fred Hoiberg workforce at the college level. His former ideal was fifty fifth at Iowa Condition in 2013-fourteen.

NU has to perform with the exact same level of defensive electricity and exertion it did in shutting down Rutgers if it can be heading to have any shot at keeping up with Iowa tonight.

Iowa (-sixteen) eighty two, Nebraska seventy one

Robin’s year record: 19-five

vs. the unfold: thirteen-eleven