Iowa rallies late to beat Nebraska, reach first Elite Eight since 1987

HOUSTON — When Bennett Stirtz finally gave his team the lead, nearly 38 minutes in, with a 3-pointer right in front of his family, the kid who started his career in Division II simply backpedaled back on defense.

No celebration. No smile. Just stone-cold clutch.

FIRST LEAD OF THE NIGHT FOR IOWA 👀

Hawkeye fans going nuts 🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dLFUqyku8f

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026

The Hawkeyes, a No. 9 seed with a coach and star who traveled from DII to mid-major to high-major together, are the closest thing this NCAA Tournament has to a Cinderella. They are onto the Elite Eight with a 77-71 win over fourth-seeded Nebraska on Thursday night. Iowa, in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987, will play the winner of Houston and Illinois on Saturday.

After trailing 12-2 and a hot Nebraska start shooting from deep, Iowa stayed poised and just kept moving the ball around the perimeter, waiting for a good shot to turn into a great one.

And Nebraska, one of the most experienced teams in this tournament, came unraveled in the final minutes. Iowa took its first lead with 2:10 left. Then, after Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg called a timeout with 58.8 seconds left, the Cornhuskers took the floor with only four players. Rienk Mast realized too late, and with Nebraska pressing, Iowa’s players all pointed toward Alvaro Folgueiras alone at half court. Kael Combs threw him a pass and Folgueiras made an and-1 dunk, getting fouled by a chasing Berke Buyuktuncel. His free throw put Iowa up 74-68.

FOLGUEIRAS CATCHES THEM OFF GUARD 😳

Nebraska only had 4 defenders on the floor. pic.twitter.com/6ayu6HjMiB

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 27, 2026

Stirtz, who followed coach Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State, then Drake, then Iowa, played every single second and chased Nebraska star Pryce Sandfort down the stretch around endless screens, but he had enough left in the tank to make one of the biggest shots of the game. He finished with 20 points and four assists. Freshman Tate Sage also had the game of his young life, scoring a career-high 19 points and hitting four big 3s. Sage was a one-time Drake commit who, like Stirtz, followed McCollum to Iowa.

McCollum, who won four DII national titles, did not win one with Stirtz, only advancing as far as the Sweet 16. But now the duo has a chance to make a Final Four on Saturday — Iowa’s first since 1980.