Nebraska @ Iowa preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 7, 2020 ) Iowa 70, Nebraska 76

No. 17 Iowa looks to bounce back from its worst loss of the season when it hosts Nebraska on Saturday. The Hawkeyes had won six of their previous seven games to climb up the national rankings but were routed 104-68 by Purdue on Wednesday, which was their largest margin of defeat in the 121-game series with the Boilermakers, and they hope to put the loss in the rearview mirror by exacting a measure of revenge against the Cornhuskers following a setback in Lincoln on Jan. 7.

“You can’t keep talking about it, as it’s one game and we got our ears pinned back,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery told reporters. “You’ve got to grow and you’ve got to getter tougher because that’s what this league is all about.” Nebraska is in the midst of its second seven-game losing skid in as many seasons following a 76-64 setback to No. 20 Penn State on Feb. 1. The Cornhuskers were limited to 38.7 percent shooting from the field and went 8-of-19 from the foul line en route to their third straight home loss, and they hope to come back refreshed after a week off by sweeping the season series with Iowa for the first time in program history. “I’m battling frustration with the guys; there’s no question about it,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters. “It’s not going to happen again where I see the guys out there hanging their heads and not playing with the type of energy we need to.”

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

ABOUT NEBRASKA (7-15, 2-9 Big Ten): Haanif Cheatham led the Cornhuskers with 15 points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals as Nebraska suffered its first home defeat to Penn State in the last nine meetings. Thorir Thorbjarnarson added 12 points and five boards to finish in double figures for the fifth time in six games, while Dachon Burke Jr. chipped in with 11 points against the Nittany Lions. Cam Mack was held scoreless after averaging 18 points in his previous four games, but the sophomore dished out three assists to move into a tie for sixth place on Nebraska’s single-season assists chart with 145.

ABOUT IOWA (16-7, 7-5): Luka Garza was the lone Iowa player to reach double figures as he scored 26 points against Purdue to notch his eighth consecutive 20-point game in conference play. Garza also overtook James Moses for 19th place on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,352 points while Ryan Kriener tallied nine points, but the Hawkeyes suffered their most lopsided loss since 2010. “We’ve got to be better,” Kriener told reporters. “We can’t come out in a road environment, especially in the Big Ten, like that and come out flat.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Garza is ranked fourth nationally in points per game (23.2).

2. Iowa has won 10 consecutive home games.

3. Nebraska has dropped 11 straight Big Ten road games dating back to last season.

PREDICTION: Iowa 85, Nebraska 71