How to Watch Nebraska Basketball vs. Iowa in the NCAA Sweet 16 with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

March Madness always seems to deliver, but few could have foreseen the NCAA Tournament being the stage for an epic conclusion to the Nebraska–Iowa rivalry trilogy Thursday night in Houston.

After the initial bracket reveal on Selection Sunday, odds appeared to be pretty low that the two neighboring states would pick up their pitchforks to face each other once again in the Sweet 16. Nebraska was highly anticipated to win its first-ever opening round game, and they did so in dominant fashion. The Hawkeyes were only slight favorites against Round of 64 opponent Clemson, but Iowa survived a late-game surge from the Tigers to move on.

A notable story in a weekend full of magical moments, Nebraska played its part for one of the best games of the first two rounds, using a Braden Frager last-minute layup, and a Vanderbilt near half-court miss reminiscent of Gordon Hayward’s 2010 last-minute heave, to advance to its first-ever Sweet 16. In what turned out to be a near carbon copy, Hawkeye junior Alvaro Folgueiras nailed the go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds remaining to upset No. 1 seed Florida, sending Iowa to its first Sweet 16 since 1999.

Despite being the highest-seeded team remaining in the region and playing just miles from its home arena, Houston has taken a backseat to what is easily the most anticipated and high-stakes matchup in the history of this rivalry since the two became Big Ten foes.

Here’s all you need to know for Thursday’s Sweet 16 showdown between Nebraska and Iowa in Houston.

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: No. 4 Nebraska (28-6, 15-5 B1G) vs. No. 9 Iowa (23-12, 10-10 B1G)
• When: Thursday, March 26
• Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Tex.
• Time: 6:30 p.m. CDT 
• Watch: TBS
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Iowa head coach Ben McCollum has directed the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 and in his debut season. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Iowa Scout

Head Coach

• Head Coach: Ben McCollum
• Year at Iowa: 1st season; 17th as HC
• Iowa Record: 23-12 (.657)
• Career Record: 449-107 (.808)
• Postseason: 4x NCAA DII National Champion, 1x NCAA DI Tournament 
• Championships: 1x MVC regular season & tournament, 12x MIAA regular season, 8x MIAA tournament
• Awards: 5x NABC DII Coach OTY, 3x Clarence Gaines Award, 8x MIAA Coach OTY, 1x MVC Coach OTY
• Previous head coach stops: Drake and Northwest Missouri State (DII)
• Previous assistant stops: Emporia State and Northwest Missouri State (DII)

2025-2026 Record & Awards

• Record: 23-12 (10-10 B1G, 9th)
• All-B1G: 1x First Team
• NCAA Tournament Team Regular Season Wins: No. 9 Nebraska, Ohio State, UCLA
• NCAA Round of 64: W, 67-61 vs. No. 8 Clemson
• NCAA Round of 32: W, 73-72 vs. No. 1 Florida

NCAA Tournament History

• Appearances: 30
• Record: 33-31 (.516)
• Best Finish: 3x Final Four
• Final Fours: 3x (1980, 1956, 1955)
• Elite Eights: 4x (1987, 1980, 1956, 1955)
• Sweet 16s: 9x (2026, 1999, 1988, 1987, 1983, 1980, 1970, 1956, 1955)

All-Time Series

• Record: Iowa leads 28-16
• Feb. 17, 2026: Iowa picks up its strongest win of the 2025-2026 season by taking down No. 9 Nebraska 57-52 in a defensive slugfest in Iowa City.
• March 8, 2026: Nebraska closes out the regular season on a high note, overcoming an Iowa game-tying 3-pointer with seconds remaining to thump the Hawkeyes in overtime 84-75.

Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) hit the go-ahead three-point basket to take down No. 1 seed Florida. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Key Returners

• Cooper Koch | F | R-Fr. | One of two returners from last season, the Illinois native has cracked the starting lineup with 6.9 PPG after being put on a medical redshirt last season.
• Jacob Koch | G | Soph. | Iowa City native who’s rarely seen action in his first two seasons and was the only holdover after Iowa’s coaching change from the offseason.

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Bennett Stirtz | G | Sr. | Returning All-American who has followed McCollum from all of Northwest Missouri State, Drake, and now Iowa, where he leads the team in scoring (20.5), assists (134), and three-pointers made (76). 
• Tavion Banks | G/F | Sr. | Named last season’s MVC Sixth Man of the Year and followed McCollum to Iowa City, where he’s putting up 10.4 points per game. 
• Alvaro Folgueiras | F | Jr. | 6-foot-10 native of Spain who was named the Horizon League Player of the Year last season at Robert Morris, but has struggled some in the Big Ten with 8.3 points per game and just short of four rebounds. 
• Cam Manyawu | F | Jr. | A two-time transfer from Wyoming and Drake, the junior hasn’t yet matched his production from last season with 6.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game as a starter.
• Tate Sage | G | Fr. | 6-foot-7 Oklahoma native who scores six points per game as one of Iowa’s best reserves. 
• Isaia Howard | G | Soph. | Played in 30 games as a freshman at Drake with McCollum before making his way to Iowa City, where he added 5.4 points per game. 
• Kael Combs | G | Jr. | After being a reserve at Drake for McCollum last year, the three-time transfer has scored 5.6 PPG while starting in 21 of his 25 appearances this season.

Outlook

It’s funny how quickly a mindset can switch.

For most Nebraska fans, the anticipation for a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1 Florida was reasonable. The defending national champions hadn’t slowed down after cutting down the nets last March, piling up 26 wins and the SEC regular season crown to earn the No. 1 seed in the South Region. There’s plenty of honor in bowing out to the defending champs, especially after exercising program demons in the first round and winning an instant classic in the Round of 32.

Then Alvaro Folgueiras made the shot.

In the blink of an eye, the Gators were done and dusted to make way for the Hawkeyes to Houston. In that instant, when the final buzzer sounded, the mindset of every Husker fan shifted from “it would be nice to win” to “we have to win.”

If the first two installments were any hint, the third and final act of this trilogy will be epic. After toppling the No. 9 Huskers in Iowa City with a low-scoring slugfest, Nebraska overcame a late Iowa surge to force the follow-up game into overtime. From there, the Cornhuskers would crush the Hawkeyes in the extra period to enact revenge with an 84-75 Senior Day victory. Iowa star Bennett Stirtz was held to only 11 points (4th on team) that day, which is a recipe that NU will want to replicate.

Bennett Stirtz (14) scored 25 points in Iowa’s win over Nebraska compared to just 11 points in the March 8 defeat vs. NU. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

It’s an easy game plan for the Huskers, who just need to stick with the themes that got them to the Sweet 16 in the first place. That means hitting your 3-pointers and playing stiff defense. The 3-point line was nonexistent for NU in the February loss to Iowa, as it went 5-for-24. On the contrary, the Cornhuskers made 10 threes in the win over the Hawkeyes. The question will be whether NU’s hot shooting stroke from deep will extend to the next weekend after hitting 23 treys across its first two tournament games.

For Iowa, head coach Ben McCollum will need to create ways for Stirtz to thrive, as his 14-point scoring gap between his scoring performances against Nebraska paints an obvious picture for the Hawkeyes. They also need to avoid fouling, which was another area with a huge difference between the two regular-season matchups. Iowa was plus-6 at the free throw line in February compared to minus-10 the following month.

It’s going to be loud, rowdy, and chippy inside Toyota Center for a matchup that has ultimate bragging rights for the winning side. From a program experiencing its first advancement in the NCAA Tournament and another with a roster imported from mid-majors around the country, this is a new stage for almost all of the key contributors. Both teams know their paths to win, but with past Sweet 16s under his belt, my vote is for head coach Fred Hoiberg and Nebraska to continue their dream season into the Elite Eight.