The NCAA Tournament's Round of 16 begins on Thursday, March 26, with four games deciding who goes to the Round of 8 on Saturday. No. 9 seed Iowa, off an big upset win over No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida, faces conference rival, No. 4 seed Nebraska, in a South regional matchup in Houston.
The winner of this 7:30 p.m. ET contest on TBS and truTV advances to the Round of 8 to meet the winner of the Illinois-Houston contest, which is tips off at 10:05 p.m. ET tonight.
Below, we’ll break down our Iowa vs. Nebraska prediction and picks for Thursday night’s game. Make your NCAA Tournament picks on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Iowa vs. Nebraska Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Iowa shocked the basketball universe in its 73-72 second-round win over Florida, earning a berth in the Round of 16 for the first time since 1999.
The Hawkeyes started the season 7-0 and had another six-game win streak in the middle of the season, but faded down the stretch, losing six of their last eight regular-season games before splitting two Big Ten Tournament battles.
Nebraska had never won an NCAA Tournament game before last week. They blew out Troy in the first round before defeating No. 5 Vanderbilt, 74-72, in the second round on Braden Frager’s layup with 2.2 seconds left.
The Cornhuskers, who were not ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, started the season 20-0 and climbed as high as No. 5 in the poll. The Cornhuskers were the best defensive team in Big Ten play, forcing turnovers on nearly 20.0% of their opponents' possessions and sport wins over Illinois and Michigan State — both No. 3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
The two Big Ten schools met twice during the regular season, splitting home games. Iowa won the first game, 57-52, ending with a court storming. Nebraska won the rematch, 84-75 in OT on March 8.
Iowa vs. Nebraska Spread, Over/Under
Nebraska enters Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Round of 16 game as 2.5-point favorites, with a 1.78x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win.
Iowa is the underdog, with a 2.04x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Nebraska -2.5 (2.08x payout)
- Over/Under: 131.5 (1.85x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Iowa 2.04x | Nebraska 1.78x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Iowa vs. Nebraska Prediction on Spread for NCAA Tournament – 3/26/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your NCAA Tournament Iowa vs. Nebraska college basketball prediction on the spread for Thursday, March 26 on PrizePicks.
- The Hawkeyes are 20-14 against the spread this season. The 57.1% cover percentage is fourth-best in the Big Ten.
- Iowa has covered in both NCAA Tournament games after failing to cover in the last three games of the season.
- As an underdog, the Hawkeyes are 5-5 against the spread, including its last two outright wins as an underdog.
- Per KenPom, Iowa is rated 22nd in the country, with an offensive rating of 123.0 (25th) and a 99.7 defensive rating (31st).
- This features the two best scoring defensive teams from the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes hold opponents to 66.0 points per game (17th nationally). The Cornhuskers are the Big Ten leader in scoring defense, allowing 65.8 points per game, 15th in the country.
- Nebraska is 19-14-1 against the spread, third-best in the Big Ten.
- As a favorite, the Huskers are 14-12-1 ATS, with covers in five of the last seven laying points.
- Nebraska is rated 13th in the country for efficiency, with a 119.2 offensive rating (52nd) and a 92.0 defensive rating (sixth nationally; second in the Big Ten).
Iowa vs. Nebraska Picks for PrizePicks Today: 3/26/26
Here are top Iowa vs. Nebraska picks to target for Thursday, March 26, on PrizePicks. Today’s college basketball picks for PrizePicks are headlined by Iowa G Bennett Stirtz and Nebraska F Pryce Sandfort.
Iowa G Bennett Stirtz vs. Nebraska Projection: 19 Points
- Iowa G Bennett Stirtz is averaging 19.7 points per game this season, second-best in the Big Ten and 36th among all Division I players.
- Stirtz went 0-9 from beyond the arc vs. Florida but had the assist for F Alvaro Folgueiras’ game-winning 3-pointer.
- The senior played the 2024-25 season at Drake, averaging 19.2 points per game to lead the Missouri Valley Conference.
- In two games vs. Nebraska this season, Stirtz scored 36 total points (18.0 points per game), shooting an underwhelming 37.5% from the field in the split.
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Nebraska F Pryce Sandfort vs. Iowa Projection: 16.5 Points
- Nebraska F Pryce Sandfort leads the Cornhuskers with 17.9 PPG, 11th in the Big Ten.
- Sandfort tops the Big Ten (ninth nationally) in 3-point attempts, averaging 8.8 per game. He makes 41.0% of the looks, good for fifth-best in the Big Ten (31st nationally).
- The junior played his first two seasons at Iowa, averaging 5.6 PPG in 15.6 minutes per game.
- In two games vs. his former team this season, Sandfort recorded 28 total points (14.0 points per game), shooting 40% from the field.
Make Iowa vs. Nebraska Picks on PrizePicks
Can Iowa pull off another upset and win the rubber match vs. Nebraska? Or will the Cornhuskers continue the best season in school history into the Round of 8? The Iowa-Nebraska NCAA Tournament game is at 7:30 p.m., televised by TBS and truTV.
You can make your Iowa vs. Nebraska picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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