60 ways for Iowa men to be Big Ten’s No. 2 seed, but just 1 way: Win Sunday

IOWA CITY — Entering the weekend, there were 128 different scenarios still possible for the seeding in this week’s Big Ten men’s basketball tournament.

Sixty of them have Iowa as the No. 2 seed. In all 60, however, the Hawkeyes must defeat Nebraska Sunday in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Last-place Minnesota beating Rutgers Thursday night wasn’t needed for Iowa’s players to be on alert against the Huskers. Nebraska, after all, has won four of its last five games, having downed Wisconsin, Rutgers and Maryland in that time.

The warning lights are burning brightly because of a different Huskers win, however.

“I’ve gotten texts like ‘Don’t overlook them,’ Yeah, like I know. They already beat us by 20,” said Iowa guard Connor McCaffery, who will go through a pregame Seniors Day ceremony along with teammate Filip Rebraca.

It actually was a 16-point loss in Lincoln Dec. 29 to the Huskers, 66-50, but it may have felt worse. Iowa shot 26 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 54-40.

“It was embarrassing,” McCaffery said. “This is definitely going to be one of our revenge games.”

A win would give Iowa a 12-8 Big Ten record and a guaranteed tie for second place in the league’s final standings. It also would assure the Hawkeyes of a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.

Get upset by the Huskers Sunday, and Iowa starts tourney play Thursday.

The Hawkeyes did their seeding possibilities in the conference and NCAA tourneys a lot of good recently with wins over Michigan State in Iowa City last Saturday and against Indiana at Bloomington Tuesday night.

Nebraska has had a February to be proud of with five wins in seven games after entering the month with a 3-9 Big Ten mark. That was with two of their key players from their game against Iowa out for the season with injuries.

One was forward Juwan Gary, who had 14 points and nine rebounds against the Hawkeyes. The other, guard Emmnuel Bandoumel, had 10 points in that game.

A player who stepped up in a big way is Keisei Tominaga. The junior guard has scored 20 or more points in five of the Huskers’ last seven games and has done so with flair. He has been called the Japanese Steph Curry, and wears Curry’s No. 30.

“He’s a hero in Japan right now,” said Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Hawkeyes want themselves, not Tominaga, to be the headliners in this game.

Connor McCaffery, not sure at the time if he were going to use the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver season or head into the work force, went through that ceremony last year prior to Iowa’s 82-61 rout of Northwestern.

About two months later, he announced he was returning for another season. Now he gets the flowers and hugs at center court all over again.

“It’s a lot more fun winning on Seniors Day, so that’s what I plan on doing, getting the ‘W,’ he said.

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