Hawkeyes continue its search for a signature win over No. 9 Nebraska

IOWA CITY — When will Iowa men’s basketball finally grab its signature win? It wasn’t against No. 6 Iowa State, No. 15 Michigan State or in the two times the Hawkeyes faced No. 7 Purdue.

Maybe the first meeting against No. 9 Nebraska will be the matchup that breaks Ben McCollum’s Hawkeyes through the glass ceiling.

The Hawkeyes have one problem, though. Their sluggish offensive starts have plagued the team from taking down ranked foes.

It was always going to be difficult to sweep this two-game homestand against the Boilermakers and now the Cornhuskers. It’s still a tall task to take down one of them. It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, but Nebraska won’t make it easy.

“They've been excellent,” Iowa head coach Ben McCollum said Monday morning. “They have a great offensive system. (Sam Hoiberg) is one of the more difficult guards to defend, and they play with a lot of energy. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Hoiberg, in particular, was one McCollum had high praise for. Though he isn’t one of the four members of Nebraska averaging double figures, the 6-foot guard averages 9.6 points per game and shoots nearly 42-percent from beyond the arc.

He’s also leaning the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (5.50) and leads the Big Ten in steals (52).

“Everything fits for them. I think defensively is where he's at, and his body language and energy is where it's really at,” McCollum said. “But then offensively, you can't forget about him, because he's pretty good offensively.”

The four other Cornhuskers in double figures include Pryce Sandfort (17.5), Rienk Mast (14.3), Braden Frager (11.8) and Jamarques Lawrence (10.6).

That makes for one overwhelming scouting report. At least, on paper.

McCollum said with the Hawkeyes’ slower start over the last few games, he’s contemplated making some lineup adjustments. He put in Isaia Howard and Alvaro Folgeuiras to start the second half against Purdue, and has considered making a change to the starting lineup, too.

Nothing’s set in stone yet, but McCollum even considered it during the team’s six-game win streak. Ultimately, he chose not to because of how the team was playing then.

“It's more of a defensive lineup to start, and we do get stops with that lineup,” McCollum said of the current starting five, “but we just don't score. So then you're slow starting every time. Once you get into Big Ten play, the level rises, and then the more need for shooting, for space on the floor, for space to be able to finish.”

The only time the Hawkeyes have changed their starting five this season was when guard Tavion Banks was sick and McCollum put Folgeuiras in against now-No. 10 Illinois on Jan. 11.

Even if McCollum opted to change the rotation, Iowa still has to find ways to stop a Nebraska team that began its year 20-0. The Cornhuskers lost their first game of the season — falling to now-No. 1 Michigan — less than a month ago.

That keystone win Iowa’s been searching for all year could happen at any point, McCollum has believed that from the beginning of the season.

It’s just finding a way to combat the slow starts against a fast-paced team.

“How can we combat some of these slow starts? Just start quicker. It's just ultimately what it is,” McCollum said. “All those mistakes show up so big because you don't hit those other ones. Then that creates the slow start, and so I guess make those couple layups would be the first part.”

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