Iowa Hawkeyes vs Nebraska Cornhuskers Prediction, 3/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Iowa Hawkeyes vs Nebraska Cornhuskers

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Nebraska (-2)

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (28-6) welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes (22-12) at Toyota Center on Thursday in the Sweet 16. Iowa opens this matchup as 2-point underdogs. The over/under has been set at 133.

The Iowa Hawkeyes faced off with Florida and went home with a win by a final score of 73-72 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Hawkeyes finished with 19 and Florida finished the game with 18 personal fouls. They also converted 6 of their 19 shots from 3-point land. Florida ended up going 74.1% when shooting free throws by making 20 of their 27 shots. Moreover, Florida grabbed 22 boards (5 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Florida distributed 18 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. In the matter of defending, Iowa allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 23 out of 46 shooting. They also recorded 14 dimes for this game in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and getting 4 steals. When it comes to hauling in boards, they earned 24 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Hawkeyes converted 14 of their 22 tries for a percentage of 63.6%. Iowa finished the game having earned a 51.0% FG percentage (26 of 51) and buried 7 of their 24 3-pointers.

Tavion Banks is a player who came through for the game. He walked away with 20 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins played and collected 6 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 70.0% from the floor and recorded 1 assist.

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Iowa enters this matchup with a mark of 22-12 for the year. They currently have an average of 75.0 pts per game (203rd in the country) while hitting 48.8% from the field. The Hawkeyes are connecting on 35.5% on shots from distance (271 of 764) and 77.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Iowa is collecting 29.7 boards per game and has totaled 511 assists so far this year, which is 88th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 9.6 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.5 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Hawkeyes are forcing 13.1 turnovers per game while drawing 17.6 fouls. They give up 33.7% on shots from downtown and they rank 16th in college in opponents points per game (65.8). The Hawkeyes defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 45.9% (771 of 1,679) and they relinquish 28.5 rebounds per game as a unit. They currently rank 74th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 394 conceded so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Nebraska Cornhuskers walked away with a victory by a final of 74-72 against Vanderbilt. When it comes to cleaning the glass, Nebraska permitted Vanderbilt to snag 29 in total (11 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 35.1% from 3-point land by connecting on 13 out of 37 and ended up going 11 out of 19 from the charity stripe (57.9%). The Cornhuskers permitted Vanderbilt to bury 24 out of 58 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.4% in this game. At the conclusion of this game, the Cornhuskers went 29 out of 52 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.8%. In relation to shooting from downtown, Nebraska knocked down 9 out of 19 attempts (47.4%). They were able to bury 7 of them for a rate of 70.0%. Vanderbilt had 16 personal fouls in this game which got the Cornhuskers to the free throw line for 10 attempts. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 5 steals for the contest. The Cornhuskers were able to corral 24 defensive boards and 2 offensive boards for a total of 26 for the matchup.

Braden Frager was important for the Cornhuskers for this game. He converted 6 of 11 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 54.5%, and had 5 rebounds. He totaled 15 points in his 27 minutes on the court and accounted for 1 assist for the game.

Nebraska has a record of 28-6 on the campaign. The Cornhuskers are responsible for committing 14.3 fouls per game and they go 75.2% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 18.0 times per contest (13th in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.7 times per contest. Nebraska has totaled 2,623 pts this season (77.1 per game) and they pull in 34.9 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cornhuskers are shooting 46.6% from the field, which is 91st in the country.

The Nebraska defense concedes 30.1% on three-point shots (296 of 984) and their opponents are converting on 72.6% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 14.2 assists and 34.5 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 251st and 186th in the nation. The Cornhuskers on the defensive end are ranked 16th in D-1 in points given up per game with 65.8. They are forcing their opponents into 13.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 40.2% from the floor (19th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Nebraska (-2)

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