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It was good to be sweet, but it's even better to be elite! The Iowa Hawkeyes are feeling elite and have punched a ticket to the Elite 8 after taking down the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 77-71 in a game that saw Iowa stay within striking distance and attack late.
Improbable, against all odds, and unlikely, the Iowa Hawkeyes are in the Elite 8, and it was due to an entire team effort. Bennett Stirtz led the way with 20 points. Cooper Koch poured in 11, Tate Sage added a massive 19 points and eight rebounds, and Alvaro Folgueiras had 16.
As Iowa awaits its opponent in the Elite 8, check out the takeaways as Iowa sends Nebraska home, even amid their best year in program history.
Iowa felt like they were holding on for dear life in the first half. Nebraska couldn't miss, Iowa was turning it over, and the Hawkeyes couldn't get a rebound. Things were constantly teetering on the edge of getting out of hand. Iowa needed to find a way to hang in there.
They did just that. Iowa always found the stop. Iowa always found the bucket. This team continued to punch, they fought back, and they hung around until their moment arrived. When it arrived, they pounced on it and punched a ticket to the Elite 8.
After two subpar games in March Madness, Iowa needed Bennett Stirtz to step up and deliver a big game for them offensively. He found his shot this game, and it was massive for the Hawkeyes. His performance gave Iowa big buckets every time they needed one.
On the night, he was 7-15 shooting, which is a much better performance for his standards, with four assists. Stirtz also added four three-pointers on the night, despite being tasked with playing 40 minutes and often guarding Nebraska's hottest shooter.
It's the Sweet 16. It's against your rival. It's the biggest moment of your career. Do you think Tate Sage cared? Do you think that the freshman was phased?
All he did was put up 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists while going 6-10 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range. Iowa doesn't win this game without Tate Sage showing up, to put it rather bluntly.
Alvaro Folgueiras has etched himself not only into Iowa lore but into March Madness lore. He had the game-winning shot against Florida, and the performance he delivered tonight only elevated his story.
On the night, he was lethal on offense, going 6-7 from the field, which saw him go 2-3 from three-point range, and put up 16 points, which included an exclamation point on the win in an and-one dunk to slam the door shut on Nebraska.
Hang in the game, make it tight, make it uncomfortable on your opponent, play smart, and then strike late when the moment arrives. That is what the Iowa Hawkeyes did tonight and have done for years under Kirk Ferentz as one of the most consistently successful teams in college football.
Iowa saw this game tied at 65-65 with 3:36 remaining and went on a 12-3 run before giving up a meaningless three-pointer to Nebraska to slam the door shut. This is the recipe for Iowa, and it works everywhere you look.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Keep dancing! Takeaways as Iowa sends Nebraska home, moves to Elite 8
Continue reading...
Improbable, against all odds, and unlikely, the Iowa Hawkeyes are in the Elite 8, and it was due to an entire team effort. Bennett Stirtz led the way with 20 points. Cooper Koch poured in 11, Tate Sage added a massive 19 points and eight rebounds, and Alvaro Folgueiras had 16.
As Iowa awaits its opponent in the Elite 8, check out the takeaways as Iowa sends Nebraska home, even amid their best year in program history.
Just keep punching
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Iowa felt like they were holding on for dear life in the first half. Nebraska couldn't miss, Iowa was turning it over, and the Hawkeyes couldn't get a rebound. Things were constantly teetering on the edge of getting out of hand. Iowa needed to find a way to hang in there.
They did just that. Iowa always found the stop. Iowa always found the bucket. This team continued to punch, they fought back, and they hung around until their moment arrived. When it arrived, they pounced on it and punched a ticket to the Elite 8.
Bennett Stirtz awoke
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After two subpar games in March Madness, Iowa needed Bennett Stirtz to step up and deliver a big game for them offensively. He found his shot this game, and it was massive for the Hawkeyes. His performance gave Iowa big buckets every time they needed one.
On the night, he was 7-15 shooting, which is a much better performance for his standards, with four assists. Stirtz also added four three-pointers on the night, despite being tasked with playing 40 minutes and often guarding Nebraska's hottest shooter.
Give Tate Sage his kudos
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It's the Sweet 16. It's against your rival. It's the biggest moment of your career. Do you think Tate Sage cared? Do you think that the freshman was phased?
All he did was put up 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists while going 6-10 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range. Iowa doesn't win this game without Tate Sage showing up, to put it rather bluntly.
Alvaro Folgueiras is March
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Alvaro Folgueiras has etched himself not only into Iowa lore but into March Madness lore. He had the game-winning shot against Florida, and the performance he delivered tonight only elevated his story.
On the night, he was lethal on offense, going 6-7 from the field, which saw him go 2-3 from three-point range, and put up 16 points, which included an exclamation point on the win in an and-one dunk to slam the door shut on Nebraska.
Kirk Ferentz is proud
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Hang in the game, make it tight, make it uncomfortable on your opponent, play smart, and then strike late when the moment arrives. That is what the Iowa Hawkeyes did tonight and have done for years under Kirk Ferentz as one of the most consistently successful teams in college football.
Iowa saw this game tied at 65-65 with 3:36 remaining and went on a 12-3 run before giving up a meaningless three-pointer to Nebraska to slam the door shut. This is the recipe for Iowa, and it works everywhere you look.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Keep dancing! Takeaways as Iowa sends Nebraska home, moves to Elite 8
Continue reading...
