LINCOLN, Neb. — On Saturday, Payton Sandfort put up 22 points, while his brother Pryce successfully hit four 3-pointers, helping Iowa secure a victory over Nebraska with a score of 83-68. This win allowed Iowa to clinch the final spot in the Big Ten Conference Tournament field, pushing Nebraska out on the last day of the regular season.
The Hawkeyes (16-15, 7-13) started the game just outside the tournament field. To advance, they needed the win to enter into a five-way tie for 14th place along with Nebraska (17-14, 7-13), Minnesota, USC, and Northwestern. Following Rutgers’ overtime win against Minnesota on Sunday, the first round of games set for Wednesday will feature Northwestern against Minnesota, Iowa facing Ohio State, and USC playing Rutgers.
Nebraska initially took control with an 18-10 lead within the game’s first eight minutes. However, Iowa turned things around starting with a layup by Josh Dix, followed by three-pointers from Drew Thelwell, Pryce Sandfort, and Brock Harding, putting Iowa ahead. Nebraska managed to tie the game at 31-31 through Berke Buyuktuncel’s layup, but Pryce Sandfort responded by scoring a deep shot and a jumper, assisted by Payton Sandfort’s two scores, bringing Iowa to a 40-35 advantage at halftime.
During the second half, the Hawkeyes gradually extended their lead. A three-pointer by Pryce Sandfort, seven minutes into the period, widened the gap to 57-47.
Senior Payton Sandfort made 9 of his 18 shots from the field, albeit only 2 of 9 from beyond the arc, and collected eight rebounds. Sophomore Pryce completed 5 of his 9 field goals, including an impressive 4 of 6 from three-point territory, while also securing 11 rebounds and contributing three assists. Josh Dix rounded out the team’s performance with 15 points and four assists. Overall, Iowa connected on 31 of their 63 field goal attempts and capitalized on 11 of 28 shots from long range.
For Nebraska, Juwan Gary led the scoring with 24 points, making 8 out of 9 free throws, and gathered seven rebounds. Sam Hoiberg added 12 points to the team’s tally.
As a result, Nebraska joins the ranks of Penn State and Washington in failing to qualify for the tournament.
