Iowa vs. Nebraska prediction: Nebraska favored to win men's March Madness Sweet Sixteen matchup [3/26/2026]

Nebraska and Iowa are scheduled to meet in March Madness Sweet Sixteen action at Toyota Center on Thursday, starting at 7:30 PM ET.

For this Sweet 16 matchup, Nebraska—an unorthodox defense that forces opponents into threes— come up against Iowa, a Ben McCollum team forcing plenty of turnovers.

Based on updated simulations, Dimers' advanced college basketball model gives Nebraska a slight edge with a 51% win probability over Iowa.

This article offers a closer look at Thursday's Iowa vs. Nebraska matchup, including an expanded look at the predicted score, best bets and picks.

Iowa vs. Nebraska prediction: Who will win and advance to the Elite Eight?

Using powerful machine learning and data, we have simulated the result of Thursday's NCAAM Tournament game between Iowa and Nebraska, forming part of our men's college basketball predictions coverage.

Our leading predictive model currently gives Nebraska a 51% chance of defeating Iowa. Our predicted score is Iowa 66-66 Nebraska.

According to our model, Iowa (+1.5) has a 56% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 131.5 points has a 53% chance of going over.

While there is no way for a men's college basketball game to end in a tie, our prediction of 66-66 is based on each team's average score in the above-mentioned simulations of Iowa vs. Nebraska.

Iowa vs. Nebraska odds

We have researched the best men's college basketball odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

Bet Type	Iowa	Nebraska
Spread	+1.5 (-108)	-1.5 (-108)
Moneyline	+105	-125
Total	o131.5 (-105)	u131.5 (-110)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Iowa vs. Nebraska picks and best bet

After matching our probabilities against the best current odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

Bet Type	Pick	Bet Now
Spread	Iowa +1.5	-108
Moneyline	Iowa	+105
Total	Over 131.5	-105

According to our best men's college basketball bets, the top play to make on this game is Iowa +1.5 at the spread.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the sportsbook odds.

Iowa vs. Nebraska game-day updates and essential details

Thursday's men's college basketball game between Nebraska and Iowa at Toyota Center is scheduled to commence at 7:30 PM ET.

• Who: Iowa vs. Nebraska
• Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
• Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30PM PT
• Venue: Toyota Center
• March Madness stage: Sweet 16

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Conclusion

We predict Nebraska, with a 51% win probability, will likely beat Iowa this men's March Madness Sweet Sixteen matchup.

AI and automation have enhanced this article to quickly deliver accurate Iowa vs. Nebraska insights, with human oversight ensuring high editorial quality. Our predictions are based on up-to-date data to help you make informed decisions. For additional resources and advice, head to our responsible gambling hub.

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