Iowa Hoops: previewing Hawks/Illini, how to watch, & fan discussion
The Hawkeyes face a tall test and familiar foe as they look to get to their first Final Four since 1980
Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images The 9-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes (24-12, 10-10) are facing down the 3-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8, 15-5) after they took down the hometown Houston Cougars. The Hawks are looking to advance to their first Final Four since 1980 while Illinois hasn’t been there since 2005.
These team’s first matchup was an Illinois used an early 13-0 run to make a despondent Ben McCollum say “concentrate” a dozen times during an early huddle. The Hawks fought back but could never close the gap to less than 4 down the stretch. On the season, there are really no “WTF” losses on the Illini’s resume once people recognized the home loss against Nebraska said just as much about the Cornhuskers’ ability as anything.
Like them, Illinois bowed out in their first game in the Big Ten Tournament after the double-bye. It was an overtime loss to Wisconsin, their second loss to the Badgers on the season. The key to Iowa getting a victory today is as it’s been pretty much all season, though it’s come to focus over the last month: limit runs.
Though they yielded the early run to Illinois in their first matchup, that was the only one they allowed per KenPom. Since the frustrating loss at Penn State, limiting runs has allowed Iowa to stick with more highly rated teams. KenPom didn’t capture any opponent runs against Michigan and Nebraska to close the regular season (both close losses) but a 15-0 run by Maryland and 17-3 run by OSU had their Big Ten Tournament come to an early run.