Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Iowa

Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-17, 1-12) at Iowa Hawkeyes (16-7, 6-6)

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022 – 1 p.m. CT

Carver-Hawkeye Arena

TV: FS1

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: FOX Sports App

1. Maintain your edge

One of the most apparent differences with the Nebraska team we saw in its win over Minnesota compared to its previous embarrassing loss to Northwestern was that, for a full 40 minutes, the Huskers were the aggressor from start to finish.

After two physical, intense practices coming off that loss to the Wildcats, NU set the tone from the opening tip against the Golden Gophers and was in complete control from wire to wire.

There were some let ups offensively at times, but the defensive energy and focus never wavered, and that was why Nebraska was finally able to finish the job and get a win.

Playing on the road at Iowa will be a substantially more difficult challenge this afternoon, but the only way the Huskers will have a chance at pulling off an upset is by bringing the same fight it had on Wednesday night.

2. Control the pace

Iowa has always been an interesting matchup against Fred Hoiberg’s Nebraska teams in that, unlike most other Big Ten teams, the Hawkeyes want to run just as much as the Huskers.

Nebraska pushes the pace as much as anyone, ranking 14th nationally in average possession length at 15.5 seconds. Well, Iowa ranks seventh at 15.2.

The Hawkeyes thrive in transition and, with their improved 3-point shooting over the past few games, play a style of basketball that is pretty much the perfect picture of what Hoiberg is trying to accomplish at NU.

The key today is for the Huskers to find a balance of playing to their identity while also not falling into the trap of getting into an outright track meet with Iowa.

If Nebraska tries to trade transition possessions with the Hawkeyes for 40 minutes, the reality is that it just doesn’t have the firepower right now to keep up.

3. Lock in on Keegan Murray

Nebraska has faced plenty of big names this season, but few carry the level of star power as Iowa’s Keegan Murray.

This season, the 6-foot-8 sophomore has taken a massive jump and currently leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 22.7 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field.

Murray’s 500 points on the year going into Saturday were the most of any player in the conference, and the next highest total (Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis) was 436.

His impact goes well beyond scoring, too. Murray also ranks third in the conference in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and fourth in blocked shots (2.0 bpg).

He’s widely projected as a top-10 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and he’ll be one of the leading candidates for Big Ten and maybe even National Player of the Year.

For Nebraska to have a chance today, it cannot allow Murray to take over the game completely.

Iowa (-16) 81, Nebraska 66

Robin’s season record: 18-6

vs. the spread: 14-10