Thursday, March 26, 2026. The most Midwestern game of all time.
It’s only fitting, as the game is part of the quintessential American event—gambling on kids playing basketball.
You know it as March Madness.
The participants, of course, are the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska.
But this isn’t a sports site—if you want to read about Iowa’s Ben McCollum and his inspiring ascension from coaching Division II or football-crazed Nebraska and its belated ascension from shooting hoops like it was in Division II, check out The Athletic.
This is a Rust Belt site, where stereotypes are shattered by giving little guys a voice.
And while Iowa and Nebraska are not exactly in the Rust Belt, they are undoubtedly victims of misrepresentation, in that flyover sort of way.
So rather than listen to coastal journalists ramble on about cornfields, farm boys, and xenophobia, I figured I’d do something boring—tell the truth.
The University of Iowa is located in Iowa City.
As of the 2020 Census, the town was 7.3% Asian, 6.7% from two or more races, and 3.0% from other races. Nationally, those numbers were 5.92%, 4.09%, and 0.51%, respectively. (The concept of race is garbage, but allow me to play the game.)
Looking to sample Indian, Mexican, Salvadoran, or Japanese fare? How about French, Korean, Thai, Middle Eastern, or West African? Try Iowa City.
The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC) is among the best centers in the country.
The university is also known for the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, which between alumni and faculty boasts over 40 Pulitzer Prize winners.
You can thank the same school for Tom Brokaw, Ashton Kutcher, and Caitlin Clark.
As a final point, ACT, Inc., the developer of the standardized test for college readiness, is headquartered in town.
The University of Nebraska is located in Lincoln.
In 2025, Lincoln was recognized by the national nonprofit Welcoming America with a four-star designation for openly embracing newcomers, the only other such city being San Mateo, California.
The entire state of Nebraska, in fact, tops all US states in terms of refugee arrivals per capita.
It follows then that Lincoln is home to Ethiopian, Nepali, and Afghani cuisine, among many others.
The university, a major research institution, has students from something like 127 countries.
You can also thank the school for Johnny Carson, Warren Buffett, and Evan Williams (the co-founder of Twitter).
Finally, my best friend from high school—CliffsNotes—is a Lincoln export.
So is the most Midwestern game of all time actually…intellectual?
Or, even worse, is it…international?!
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