Iowa tries for third-straight B1G championship vs. Nebraska

Nebraska v Iowa — Caitlin Clark has led Iowa to Big Ten Tournament championships in each of the last two seasons. | Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

As Caitlin Clark’s storied career in the Big Ten comes to a close, the Iowa Hawkeyes will try for a third-consecutive conference tournament championship. Standing in their way are the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who shocked the country with an improbable regular-season victory over Iowa last month.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (28-4, 15-3) will try for their third-straight Big Ten Tournament championship when they play the Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-10, 11-7) this Sunday, Mar. 10. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

Though the 2024 Big Ten Tournament has been full of surprises, Iowa advancing to the title game isn’t one of them. The Hawkeyes finished the regular season ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division I by the Associated Press and, as the tournament’s No. 2 seed, have made short work of their end of the bracket, defeating No. 7-seed Penn State 95-62 and No. 6-seed Michigan 95-68. Iowa guard Caitlin Clark set another individual record along the way, passing Kelsey Mitchell to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer (293 points).

In Nebraska, the Hawkeyes will encounter a familiar foe—and one they’ve probably been itching to give some payback. On Feb. 11, Nebraska stunned Iowa with an incredible comeback, outscoring the Hawkeyes (then ranked No. 2 in Division I) 12-2 in the final three minutes of regulation in one of the NCAA season’s most shocking upsets.

Nebraska has gotten hot at the right time, too, earning three wins in as many days over No. 12-seed Purdue, No. 4-seed Michigan State and No. 8-seed Maryland. Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley, who was one of the heroes for the Cornhuskers in February, has had a big tournament, most recently scoring 30 points and hitting six 3-pointers against Maryland.

NCAA Womens Basketball: Iowa at Nebraska — Nebraska guard Jaz Shelley hit big shot after big shot against Iowa in the Cornhuskers’ February victory.

Clark and the Hawkeyes will now have an opportunity for revenge against Shelley and the Cornhuskers, as well as the chance to truly go out on top. Clark recently announced that she’ll be forgoing her final year of NCAA eligibility to declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft. One of the most decorated players in college basketball history, this will be Clark’s last Big Ten Tournament game, so the Hawkeyes would surely love to send their superstar out on a high note.

As last month’s game proved, however, nothing is guaranteed on the hardwood. Iowa will need a complete team effort to defeat Nebraska and claim its third Big Ten Tournament in as many years.