Preview: Nebraska Next for Hawkeyes

No. 25 Iowa in Lincoln Friday Night

Iowa captain Connor McCaffery (left) talks to his teammates during a game against Michigan State on Feb. 22, 2022 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

There are plenty of things about playing at Nebraska on Friday night that should get Iowa’s attention, coach Fran McCaffery said on Thursday.

The Huskers are 7-20 overall, 1-15 in the Big Ten. One of those losses was to the Hawkeyes on February 13, a 98-75 win in a game in which Iowa led by as much as 36 points in the second half.

But McCaffery knows there was a second-half stretch in which the Huskers outscored the Hawkeyes 20-3. And there’s also the fact that Iowa has lost its last four games at Nebraska.

The last thing Iowa needs after winning at Ohio State on the road and at home against Michigan State is a stumble heading into the final week of the regular season.

“I mean, they have good players,” McCaffery said. “They have played well, at times. They went on a 20-3 run on us in that game. So that obviously has our attention. We know what they're capable of. And we know what this league is. So that game is every bit as important as the last two.”

The No. 25 Hawkeyes (19-8, 9-7) are fighting for Big Ten tournament seeding. They’re in a three-way tie for sixth place and are a half-game behind Rutgers for fifth.

Every win is important at this point, and the Hawkeyes will have to keep their current run going in a place where they haven’t won since the 2014-15 season. Two of those defeats in Lincoln were in overtime.

“We had a couple tough losses,” McCaffery said. “I think both of those games we felt like we had won and then didn't, I think really the only guys that played in that game.

“I don't think we really look at arenas. We look at teams. And we respect Nebraska, their personnel. And like I said, we won when they were here, but they did go on a 20-3 run in the second half. So that shows you what they're capable of doing.”

The Hawkeyes have shown their capabilities in their last two victories. They dominated the second half of the 75-62 win at Ohio State, then controlled Michigan State throughout Tuesday’s 86-60 win.

Iowa has been especially effective in rebounding. The Hawkeyes had a 40-31 edge on Ohio State, including 20 offensive rebounds, then outrebounded Michigan State 41-40.

“I think we recognize if you don't (outrebound) you're not going to win,” McCaffery said. “It really is that simple. It was noticeable in particular in the Michigan State and Ohio State games — traditionally if you want to beat those teams, you got to rebound.

“Sometimes we've had some really potent offensive teams and we haven't rebounded as well and we still score enough points to win and sometimes you score a lot of points and lose because you give up a lot of points. But our guys are smart. They're tough. We're deep so we've got fresh bodies out there a good portion of the time, which also helps your rebounding tremendously. We have a team that knows and likes to run and is committed to running. So if you want to run you’ve got to get the ball.”