The third time changes everything
On Thursday night in Houston, Nebraska and Iowa meet again. This time, it’s just two teams that have already seen each other twice, now meeting again with something much bigger attached.
Nebraska and Iowa don’t just know each other by now. The Huskers and Hawkeyes maybe know the other a little too well, if we’re being honest. The two have already met twice this season, the first being a 57-52 Iowa win in Iowa City on Feb. 17 and the second a 84-75 Husker win in Lincoln on March 8.
On Thursday night in Houston, Nebraska and Iowa meet again. This time, it’s just two teams that have already seen each other twice, now meeting again with something much bigger attached.
No big deal, right?
Coach Fred Hoiberg met with the media Monday, a day before the Huskers depart for Houston. He didn’t overcomplicate things. He’s watched what Iowa has become over the past two games in the NCAA Tournament, and his tone reflected a team that understands exactly what’s coming.
“(Iowa) is a team that is playing really well,” Hoiberg said. “They are playing their best stretch of basketball of the season right now. We are going to have to have a great couple of days in preparation to get ourselves ready…We just need to go out and execute. This is a huge game for us.”
Nebraska has already experienced two different versions of itself in this tournament. Against Troy, it controlled everything from the moment the game settled in. The ball moved, the defense held and the result followed naturally. Against Vanderbilt, it required patience when the offense stalled, composure when the energy spiked and the ability to reset when things started to slip.
That second game matters more now.
