HOUSTON – As a senior in high school, Oklahoma native and three-star recruit Tate Sage committed to play for Ben McCollum and Drake in September 2024. He also held offers from Tulsa, Lindenwood, and Missouri State. But not one Power Four team sought him.
He could’ve held out, continue to bet on himself, and wait for that one Power Four school to offer him. But it was something about McCollum and his staff that made his decision so easy. He not only loved the coaches, he also loved the system of the team and all the people surrounding it. That’s why the decision to follow him to Iowa City was seamless.
Before the No. 9 seeded Hawkeyes’ Sweet 16 game versus No. 4 seed Nebraska on Thursday, Sage received a text from his high school coach. It was a picture of him with a sign that said “Play like underdogs.”
The initial mid-major commit with no high-major offers put up career-highs with 19 points, eight rebounds, and four threes in Iowa’s 77-71 comeback win over its rivals for an Elite Eight appearance, 18 months after his Drake commitment. A true underdog performance.
“I was just playing my game. Just doing what I do,” Sage said. “Just came out in attack mode and the dominos kept falling.”
Sage has been quietly sound the entire season. His minutes have been that of a rollercoaster – averaging 16 minutes through 35 games – though he’s shown the intangible flashes of poise and high IQ through his inconsistent stints. Thursday’s performance was the biggest example as such.
In the middle of the 13-minute mark in the first quarter, Sage scored his first points off a quick trigger three early into the shot clock. The shot had confidence written all over it. He went on to make another one three minutes later.
His third three of the night was a must-make. Iowa was down six points, 46-40, with just over four seconds left. Bennett Stirtz received the inbounds pass on the near sideline, took three dribbles up the court, and made a calm bounce pass through the defender’s outstretched arm to an open Sage on the left wing.
The freshman took the shot, again with confidence, and hit nothing but net. Instead of a two-possession Cornhusker lead at halftime, it was a one-possession lead.
TATE SAGE HALFTIME BUZZER BEATER 3 pic.twitter.com/jYBNAndxkK
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) March 27, 2026
Sage was much more quiet scoring-wise for majority of the second half, though timely with his scores. His layup at the 15:05 mark tied the game at 50 apiece, which was the first tie of the game. And at the 8:20 mark and Nebraska up five, he knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a one-possession game once again.
Then came arguably the biggest bucket of the night. Stirtz’s three gave Iowa its first lead of the night, 68-65, with 2:10 to go, and the Cornhuskers went down the court and came up empty. On the Hawkeyes’ next possession, Sage found himself open in the right corner and splashed his fourth triple of the night, extending their lead to six with 1:18 to go.
Because they’re up six, Braden Frager’s response three 20 seconds later wasn’t as dramatic. The Hawkeyes never trailed after the Sage dagger.
IT’S RAINING 3’S WITH A TRIP TO THE ELITE EIGHT ON THE LINE pic.twitter.com/spJLjgti1p
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 27, 2026
“He’s got a chip on his shoulder. No one recruited him,” Iowa head coach Ben McCollum said of his freshman. “And then he comes out in the Sweet 16 game, and I don’t know how many points he had – quite a few points, quite a few threes. And then defensively, he was fantastic because he’s really good at executing the scout. And he’s done so much better throughout the season at doing that.”
The best part about Sage’s career performance in the Iowa victory was that he had lots of family make the seven-hour drive from Weatherford, Oklahoma to Houston to watch him play. Among the Iowa crowd was his parents, aunt, uncle, cousin and his family, two sisters, two childhood best friends, and his twin brother, Ethan, who’s older by a minute.
It was only right that the freshman took center stage and led the dance into the Elite Eight.
“All the way back to when I won state and committed, I felt like I could play at the level of Missouri Valley,” Sage said during media availability on March 25. “And then [McCollum] went to Iowa, and I believed I could play in the Big Ten. So this has never shocked me. I always felt comfortable and believed in myself.”
