Illinois defeats Iowa in Elite Eight, reaches Final Four for first time since 2005
Illinois beat Iowa 71-59 on March 28, 2026, in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, securing a spot in the Final Four for the first time since 2005.[1]
The win ends Iowa's underdog run in the tournament and marks Illinois' sixth overall Final Four appearance. The Fighting Illini program has never won a national championship.[2]
The game at Houston's Toyota Center experienced a roughly 10-minute delay due to a buzzer malfunction. The horn sounded at the end of a media timeout with under eight minutes remaining in the first half and blared continuously for about seven minutes.[1]
Players remained on the court briefly before warming up amid the noise. The main scoreboard and video screen were shut off to silence the buzzer, and play resumed using two smaller scoreboards at opposite ends of the arena. The primary scoreboard remained off through halftime.[1]
The NCAA confirmed the incident resulted from a frozen scoreboard system, which could not be reset at halftime. 
[1]
Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 25 points in the victory.[1]
The Fighting Illini, members of the Big Ten Conference, will face the winner of the Duke-UConn regional semifinal next weekend in the Final Four semifinals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.[1][3]
Texas is the only remaining team in the tournament with a double-digit seed.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital
Sports coverage
Accessed October 4, 2024
https://www.foxnews.com/sports - Wikipedia
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Accessed October 4, 2024
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois_Fighting_Illini_men%27s_basketball - NCAA.com
Division I men's basketball committee announces championship sites through 2026
April 26, 2023
https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-04-26/division-i-mens-basketball-committee-announces-championship-sites-through-2026
