HOUSTON — Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska had only four defenders on the court, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.
Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras had 16 for the Hawkeyes (24-12), who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round on Folgueiras’ 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Iowa will face either Illinois or Houston on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, has now led Iowa to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987.
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Fourth-seeded Nebraska (28-7) took an early 10-point lead against its Big Ten rival, and Iowa tied it four times but never led until Stirtz buried a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 with 2:10 to go. Tate Sage hit another 3 to cap a 9-0 run and put Iowa ahead 71-65.
The Cornhuskers got to within three on a second-chance 3 by Braden Frager, but they were disorganized on the inbounds play, leaving Folgueiras unguarded near the rim. He slammed it home — popping up screaming after he finished through contact as Iowa fans roared — and converted the free throw for a six-point lead.
Another dunk by Folgueiras with 34 seconds left made it 76-68.
Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort made six 3s and scored 25 points for Nebraska, which won the first two March Madness games in program history to get this far. Frager added 16 points for coach Fred Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers, who delighted a traveling contingent of red-clad fans throughout their tournament run.
Iowa’s second-half rally was fueled by Nebraska’s cold shooting: The Huskers were 9 of 32 (28.1%) in the second half, with most of those attempts coming from beyond the arc, where they made only 6 of 24.
The teams split their previous meetings this season, but it will be the Hawkeyes moving on to try to represent the Big Ten in the Final Four — with possibly another conference rival standing in their way.
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