Ben McCollum has been the star of the tournament so far because he wears his emotions on his sleeves. He was ready to fight Todd Golden in the second round Sunday and tonight the coach couldn’t hide his thoughts after the Hawkeyes took advantage of a crucial defensive mistake from Nebraska.
First the play, Nebraska had late-game meltdown when Fred Hoiberg put out a lineup with just four defenders. Alvaro Folgueiras immediately noticed to mistake and went long and Kael Combs delivered the deep ball on the money.
MAMA THERE GOES THAT MAN.I got nothing left man. Exhausted from this run. Give Ben McCollum whatever he wants. Hawks by a million.pic.twitter.com/KsfBKV4SEO
— Matt Stewart (@MattStewartPhD) March 27, 2026
Folguerias completed the three-point play and just like that Iowa is off to the Elite Eight after a 77-71 win over the conference rival.
Ben McCollum keeps it real in the postgame
Sometimes the best results come from the things you don’t see and McCollum admits that he wasn’t counting how many defenders the Huskers had on the floor, but that’s why he trusts the guys he has on the floor…