The Pick Six Podcast - Husker sports news and analysis · Omaha World-Herald

Nebraska and Iowa's best of three matchup for the Elite Eight

March 24, 2026·37 min

Pick 6 Podcast hosts Sam McEwen and Evan Bland discuss Nebraska basketball's historic Sweet 16 advancement. Pre-season 14th in the Big 10, the Huskers defeated Troy in a coronation-style second-half blowout, then barely survived a visceral Vanderbilt matchup (Vandy hit 10 threes in second half; Nebraska won by 2). The analysts rank this moment top 3-4 in Nebraska sports history behind legendary football moments like 2001's OU game, emphasizing the 'come-out-of-nowhere' factor and unprecedented ground broken for basketball. Evan notes this is the first Nebraska basketball Sweet 16 in program history. The spotlight then shifts to the upcoming matchup: Nebraska vs. Iowa in Houston. The hosts analyze the rivalry's historical context—Nebraska football dominance, but Iowa's basketball edge in recent decades, and profound political/cultural differences between states. They emphasize this single game will permanently escalate the rivalry stakes and spill over into future football encounters and all institutional competition. Sam reflects on a prior women's basketball Big 10 championship moment (Nebraska beating Caitlin Clark's Iowa), noting the emotional imprint on Nebraska fans. Evan discusses how people in the arena during Vanderbilt game will remember those four days forever—a generational memory for fans who grew up loving Nebraska but never had the signature moment.

As heard by us

A Sweet 16 rivalry conversation that treats Nebraska basketball history as the point, not the backdrop.

This episode follows Nebraska basketball's Sweet 16 run and the rival waiting next, with Sam McEwen and Evan Bland treating it as both a payoff and a history check for Husker fans.

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Why you'd press play

You get Nebraska's Sweet 16 and Iowa rivalry tension in one patient, local basketball conversation.

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