Nebraska's magical season came to an end Thursday night with a heartbreaking loss to Iowa in the Sweet 16.
Despite jumping out to an early 10-point lead, Nebraska was unable to put Iowa away in the second half. To be fair, No. 1 seed Florida learned a few days ago just how difficult it is to shut down Ben McCollum's feisty squad. When it was all said and done, Iowa managed to secure a 77-71 win and book a spot in the Elite Eight.
Bennett Stirtz led Iowa in scoring with 20 points, but it was Alvaro Folgueiras who gave the team much-needed breathing room by converting a critical three-point play with under a minute remaining.
Fans noticed that Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor when Folgueiras broke free for the three-point play. Obviously, an error of that magnitude shouldn't happen this late in the NCAA Tournament.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images.
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg was asked about that costly sequence during his postgame press conference. Unsurprisingly, he took full accountability for that mistake.
"Put that one on me," Hoiberg said. "It was a miscommunication and I’m the head coach. Put that one on me."
Hoiberg was then asked if the officials were supposed to hold the ball until a fifth defender stepped on the floor. He was unable to definitively answer that question.
What's next for Iowa after this win over Nebraska?
Believe it or not, Iowa hasn't been to the Elite Eight since 1987. Clearly, it just took one season for McCollum to establish a championship-caliber culture for the Hawkeyes.
Next up for Iowa is a showdown with either Illinois or Houston. That game will be played on Saturday.
At this stage in the tournament, no one should doubt Iowa's chances of making the Final Four.
