Nothing was falling for Iowa in the final minutes of the second half, but the team still held on to complete the win against Nebraska, 57-52, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday.
Fans grew worried when the Hawkeyes could not buy a basket amid the Cornhuskers' comeback attempt. They failed to score a field goal in the last 4:59. Fortunately, their defense was enough to stave off the 9th-ranked Nebraska.
Iowa improved to 19-7, including 9-6 in the Big Ten. The victory was a confidence-builder for the Hawkeyes, especially with the conference tournament on the horizon.
It was also memorable for coach Ben McCollum, who won against a ranked team for the first time in his maiden stint at Iowa.
“That was awesome. Our guys battled all night. We obviously had a rough stretch here, but we battled defensively. Most importantly, we were able to come up with the win,” said McCollum in an interview with Big Ten Network.
Love this so much 🫶
Ben McCollum won’t soon forget this night. pic.twitter.com/MM1A5PaCqp
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) February 18, 2026
The 44-year-old McCollum joined Iowa in the offseason after spending the last two years at Drake.
Fans stormed the court after Iowa's upset, and fans celebrated it on social media as well.
“We just got a top-10 win as an unranked team,” said @justagal752.
“Storm the court! Massive W over #9 Nebraska! Go Hawkeyes!” cheered @Alexcal45470092.
“Big-time win tonight. Congrats, boys! Carver was rocking and the student section brought it all night. That’s the energy—let’s keep stacking wins. #TogetherWeFightForIowa,” wrote @bgoetz12.
“Way to put those frauds in their place,” added @HawkHoops94.
“A win this team, Ben, and the program needed. So proud of you guys fighting hard for this,” posted @Ioweeb_.
Iowa bounced back after back-to-back losses to Purdue and Maryland.
Bennett Stirtz starred for the Hawkeyes with a game-high 25 points on top of two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
They will visit Wisconsin on Sunday.
