Iowa vs Nebraska Prediction 3/8/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet Sunday in college basketball action from Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln. Here’s an Iowa vs Nebraska prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Iowa vs Nebraska pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Iowa Hawkeyes Betting Preview

Iowa only lost two of their first 14 games this year on a 12-2 opening run, then fell versus Minnesota, Illinois and Purdue. After wins over Indiana, Rutgers, USC, Oregon, Washington and Northwestern from there came a 1-3 run. The losses in that time were versus Maryland, Purdue and Wisconsin. After a win over Ohio State and losses to Penn State and Michigan, Iowa has a 20-10 record.

On Thursday versus Michigan the Hawkeyes weren’t looking too bad in the first half and entered the locker room with a 30-30 tie. Iowa posted a 41-38 deficit the rest of the way however, which led to a 71-68 loss on their home court. Leading the team in the losing effort was Bennett Stirtz with 21 points, three rebounds, three steals and four assists in 40 minutes.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Preview

The Cornhuskers started out great this year with victories in each of their first 20 games. Next came losses to Michigan and Illinois in consecutive outings, though. The next five games turned out as a 3-2 run with wins over Rutgers, Northwestern and Penn State mixed among losses to Purdue and Iowa. After wins over Maryland and USC from there, the Huskers lost to UCLA for a 25-5 record.

Matched up against UCLA on Tuesday the Cornhuskers were in trouble at halftime sporting a 37-24 deficit. Nebraska didn’t end up getting any closer than that on a 35-28 run in the second half and eventually took the loss 72-52 on the road. Sam Hoiberg was the team’s leading scorer in the losing effort with his 12 points, one rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes of action.

Iowa Hawkeyes @ Nebraska Cornhuskers Betting Trends: March 8, 2026

Why the Nebraska Cornhuskers will win

• Nebraska has won each of its last 12 day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Iowa has lost each of its last six road games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Iowa Hawkeyes will win

• Iowa has won eight of its last 10 games against Nebraska.

Iowa vs Nebraska Prediction

I’l stick with Nebraska. The Cornhuskers really need a good bounce-back game here after the road loss to UCLA, though. In that one Nebraska shot just 38.8 percent from the field, 20.8 percent (5-of-24) from outside and 50 percent (9-of-18) from the line. The Huskers also posted a 35-29 deficit on the boards and had 13 turnovers along the way. Nebraska is still 3-1 in their last four games though, scoring 74 or more points in each of the victories.

Back on February 17 when these teams last met, the Cornhuskers took a 57-52 loss on the road. In that game Nebraska shot just 40.9 percent from the field with 20.8 percent from outside and a 33-22 rebounding deficit. The Huskers added 12 turnovers for 13 Iowa points, but the Hawkeyes shot just 33.3 percent from the field themselves. This rematch could go a lot of different ways, but it should be entertaining regardless.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Nebraska Cornhuskers -5.5