The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has reached the Sweet 16, and there are a few surprise teams that have made it this far. Two of the major surprises are No. 11 seed Texas and No. 9 seed Iowa.
Not many people expected them to advance, but it was Iowa that pulled off the most shocking win of the tournament last weekend. The Hawkeyes defeated the Florida Gators 73-72 in a game where they were double-digit underdogs.
Iowa limited a high-powered Florida offense to just 72 points as its slow, methodical pace controlled the game. Now the Hawkeyes are on to the Sweet 16, where they face a conference foe, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa head coach Ben McCollum wants to make sure his players’ complete focus is on Nebraska, and that may be tough to do after knocking off a No. 1 seed.
Iowa Coach Ben McCollum Says ‘Don’t Drink the Poison’
It may be hard for a team coming off the high of defeating a No. 1 seed to come back to earth for its next game. But that is the task ahead of McCollum.
According to Tyler Tachman, McCollum said while talking to reporters, “We just told them, the day after that, unless it’s media that’s asking you questions, you’re not allowed to talk about the Florida game. So, I don’t want you to read social media about. I don’t want you to drink the poison.”
Ben McCollum: “We just told them, the day after that, unless it’s media that’s asking you questions, you’re not allowed to talk about the Florida game. So, I don’t want you to read social media about. I don’t want you to drink the poison. We let them talk about it for five… pic.twitter.com/rt1xLkyucu
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) March 25, 2026
Many are talking about how great Iowa is after pulling off this upset, but McCollum does not want his team to listen to the noise. They still have plenty of work to do to achieve their overall goal of a national championship, and McCollum does not want them to lose sight of that.
Hawkeyes Shift Focus to Nebraska Cornhuskers
Iowa and Nebraska faced off twice during the regular season, splitting the games, with each team winning at home. Nebraska won the most recent matchup on March 8, 84-75, in overtime. Fans can expect a low-scoring game when these two teams meet on Thursday.
Both teams play at a slow pace and limit possessions. According to Team Rankings, Iowa ranks 365th (last) in college basketball in possessions per game, at 64.6. At the same time, Nebraska is 269th with 68.8.
Iowa has advanced this far by making teams play its style of game. However, that should not come as a surprise to Nebraska, as it is a familiar opponent.
This should be a highly competitive game and one with the makings of the best in the Sweet 16.
