Hawkeyes Hit Regular-Season Finale

Plenty on Line Sunday when Iowa Basketball Plays Host to Huskers

(L-R) Iowa's Filip Rebraca, Kris Murray and Connor McCaffery wait to be introduced before a game against Michigan State on Feb. 25, 2023 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA GAME NOTES
NEBRASKA GAME NOTES 

IOWA CITY, Iowa - A very meaningful Sunday afternoon in Carver-Hawkeye Arena is upon us. Iowa Basketball says goodbye to accomplished student-athletes on Senior Day and the game's outcome impacts the Hawkeyes' Big Ten Tournament seed. 

Nebraska (15-15 overall, 8-11 conference) visits Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday (1 p.m., BTN) for the regular-season finale. An Iowa win gives it a great shot at the two-seed in next week's league tournament in Chicago. There are other scenarios. 

The Huskers won this matchup, 66-50, Dec. 29 in Lincoln. Their four-game winning streak was snapped with a 80-67 home loss to Michigan State Tuesday. 

Iowa (19-11, 11-8) rode a roller-coaster to this point of the campaign. After losing its first three Big Ten games, it won four in a row, then lost two straight and then won three consecutive contests. The uneven ride continued with it capturing the last two after a two-game skid. 

The Hawkeyes will honor seniors Connor McCaffery (4-to-1 assist/turnover ratio leads nation) and Filip Rebraca (14.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG) before Sunday's game. It's expected to be emotional considering one is the head coach's kid and the other also is a great asset in the program.

"They're so professional in their approach because of all the experience that they have," coach Fran McCaffery said. "It's really important when you have young guys, they rely on that type of interaction, communication. It's great to see. It really helps them as they move forward."

Sunday also likely serves as the final home game for junior forward Kris Murray. He's expected to follow his twin brother, Keegan, to the NBA as a projected first-round pick. 

Kris Murray is enjoying a season that should make him a first-team all-conference team. He ranks second in Big Ten scoring per game (20.46) with Purdue's Zach Edey leading (22.10) and Indiana's Trayce Jackson Davis (20.30) in third. 

Murray, Rebraca and Connor McCaffery combined to score 38 of their team's season-low 50 points at Nebraska Dec. 29. The Hawkeyes shot 9 of 73 (26.0 percent) from the floor, which included 7 of 28 (25.0) on treys. 

"We were terrible in that game," Fran McCaffery said. "That's not to say that they weren't good, because they had a lot to do with it. I don't think we executed very well offensively. Our defense has to get better. Our ball movement, our execution. Anything short of that obviously it will be hard (to win)."

As one has come to expect with Iowa native Fred Hoiberg coaching Nebraska, transfers dominate his roster. The Huskers' Top 6 scorers this season fit into that category. 

Derrick Walker (13.8 PPG, Tennessee), Keisei Tominaga (12.9, JUCO) and Sam Griesel (11.7, North Dakota State), Juwan Gary (9.5, Alabama), Emmanuel Bandoumel (8.4, SMU) and C.J. Wilcher (7.8, Xavier) began their college careers away from Lincoln. 

Nebraska will be visiting a team that recorded its best win of the season on Tuesday. The Hawkeyes crushed No. 15 Indiana, 90-68, in Bloomington. 

Now, they can't dip on the roller-coaster with so much on the line. 

"We're really focused," Rebraca said. "We know what this game means. We're playing for the two-seed, potentially. We also remember what happened the last time we played them at their place. 

"It's a little bit of both. We want the two-seed, but we also want to get them back for our previous game. I would say our focus level is at an all-time high."