By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa men’s basketball team scored 85 points in its last game against Wisconsin, and yet, still lost by 31 points.

So, it’s probably fair to say that defense has been an emphasis in practice in preparation for Tuesday’s game against Nebraska at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“Our close-outs have to be better,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said Monday on a zoom conference. “Rotations have to be better.”

And while defense rarely has been a strength for Iowa under Fran McCaffery, who is in his 15th season as head coach, the performance on defense against Wisconsin was bad even by Iowa’s standards.

Wisconsin made 21-of-31 shots from 3-point range in last Friday’s 116-85 beat-down in Madison, and most of them came on wide open looks.

It was the most points Wisconsin had ever scored in a Big Ten game, and the most any team had scored in a Big Ten contest since Iowa put up 116 against Northwestern in 1995. It was also Wisconsin’s first 100-point game in conference play since 1993.

The loss lowered Iowa’s record to 1-2 in Big Ten play and 10-4 overall, while Nebraska is 2-1 and 12-2 and has won six straight games under head coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Huskers defeated then-No. 15 UCLA Saturday, 66-58, before a home crowd of 15,167 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Nebraska has won 20 straight home games, but it has only played one conference game on the road so far this season and it didn’t end well as Michigan State crushed the Cornhuskers 89-52 on Dec. 6 in East Lansing, Michigan.

Senior guard Brice Williams leads a trio of Huskers in double figures, averaging 18.8 points (fifth in the Big Ten) and 3.6 rebounds. He is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3-point range. He is also 86-of-95 from the free throw line (90.5 percent).

Wisconsin transfer Connor Essegian averages 11.6 points with a team-best 35 3s and Juwan Gary averages 11.6 points. Essegian is third in the league in 3-point percentage (.412), 3-pointers per game (2.5) and total 3s (35).

Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell, a 6-3 guard, has had a similar impact with Iowa, including scoring 25 points in the loss at Wisconsin.

Nebraska (12-2, 2-1) vs. Iowa (10-4, 1-2)

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

TV: Peacock

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

All-time series: Tuesday’s game will be the 41st game in the all-time series between Iowa and Nebraska. The Hawkeyes lead the series, 25-15.

Iowa is 17-4 against the Huskers in Iowa City, including winning nine of the last 10 meetings. Nebraska edged the Hawkeyes, 81-77, in 2023. Last season, the Hawkeyes blasted Nebraska, winning 94-76 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the lone meeting in the season series