Iowa vs. Nebraska odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The ninth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes take on the fourth-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers in an NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday. Iowa is coming off a 73-72 last-second victory over defending national champion Florida on Sunday in the second round, while Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt 74-72 on Saturday. The Hawkeyes (23-12), who finished ninth in the Big Ten Conference at 10-10, have won two in a row. The Cornhuskers (28-6), who tied for second in the Big Ten at 15-5, have won six of eight.

Tip-off from Toyota Center in Houston is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Iowa leads the all-time series 28-16, but the teams split a pair of games during the regular season. Nebraska is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Iowa vs. Nebraska odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 133.5. Before making any Iowa vs. Nebraska picks, you NEED to see the basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 Sweet 16 on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated Iowa vs. Nebraska 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of the simulations!

So who wins Iowa vs. Nebraska, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!