Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Iowa Hawkeyes Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA

TV: BTN

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-3) are en route to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday where they will attempt to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes (18-7).

The Nebraska Cornhuskers faced Northwestern and took home the win by a score of 68-49 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Cornhuskers ended up finishing with 14 while Northwestern finished the game with 14 personal fouls. They also knocked down 3 out of their 15 shots from beyond the arc. Northwestern ended up going 54.5% at the free throw line by knocking down 6 of 11 shots. Moreover, Northwestern had 19 boards (5 offensive, 14 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Northwestern recorded 13 dimes and had 9 steals in this matchup. In reference to defending, Nebraska allowed the other team to shoot 40.0% from the field on 20 of 50 shooting. They also distributed 16 dimes in the game while forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and getting 10 steals. When discussing rebounding, they collected a total of 37 with 11 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Cornhuskers converted 9 of their 12 shots for a rate of 75.0%. Nebraska wrapped up the contest with a 45.3% field goal percentage (24 of 53) and knocked down 11 of 25 shots from beyond the arc.

Pryce Sandfort is a player who was a contributor for the game. He ended up going 47.6% from the field but finished the game without an assist. He played 36 mins and grabbed 6 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 29 points on 10 of 21 shooting.

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Nebraska heads into this contest with a mark of 22-3 for the season. They are giving up possession 9.4 times per game and as a unit they are committing 14.5 fouls every game. As a team, Nebraska is pulling in 35.6 rebounds per game and has 460 dimes on the year, which is 21st in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Cornhuskers are connecting on 36.0% on 3-point shots (275 of 763) and 76.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 79.4 points per outing (108th in Division 1) while shooting 47.1% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Cornhuskers are forcing 13.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.6 personal fouls. They are giving up 29.9% from beyond the arc and they are ranked 19th in college hoops in opponents PPG (66.0). The Cornhuskers defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 39.8% (588 of 1,476) and they surrender 35.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 202nd in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 352 relinquished on the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the Iowa Hawkeyes took a defeat with a final score of 78-57 against Purdue. The Hawkeyes snagged 20 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 28 for the contest. They coughed up the ball 6 times, while getting 3 steals in the matchup. Purdue committed 17 fouls in the matchup which took the Hawkeyes to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They were able to knock down 11 of them for a rate of 64.7%. In the matter of shots from downtown, Iowa buried 6 of their 22 attempts (27.3%). When the final whistle was blown, the Hawkeyes finished shooting 20 out of 53 from the floor which gave them a rate of 37.7%. The Hawkeyes allowed Purdue to make 25 of their 53 tries from the field which had them shooting 47.2% for the contest. They shot 40.0% from three-point range by going 12 out of 30 and walked away from this one shooting 16 out of 20 from the free throw line (80.0%). With respect to rebounding, Iowa permitted Purdue to snag 36 in all (8 offensive).

Bennett Stirtz ended up being a factor for the Hawkeyes for the game. He knocked down 7 out of 12 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 38 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in this contest.

Iowa has a mark of 18-7 on the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Hawkeyes are hitting on 50.1% from the field, which has them ranked 18th in the nation. Iowa has 1,924 points so far this season (77.0 per contest) and they grab 29.9 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 15.6 times per contest (89th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.6 times per contest. The Hawkeyes commit 18.0 fouls per game and they connect on 76.4% from the free throw line.

The Hawkeyes defensively are ranked 13th in the nation in points given up per game with 64.9. They are forcing 13.6 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.9% from the floor (239th in college). The Iowa defense allows 32.2% on shots from distance (154 of 478) and opponents are converting on 72.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 11.0 dimes and 28.8 total boards per game, which has them ranked 26th and 2nd in the country.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Nebraska

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