Brad Underwood, Illinois preview Elite 8 vs. Iowa basketball
Brad Underwood and Illinois stand in the way of an Iowa Hawkeyes berth in the Final Four. Here's what the Illini said before the Elite 8.
Iowa (24-12, 10-10 Big Ten) and No. 3 seed Illinois (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten) meet in the South Region final from inside the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday evening with a Final Four ticket on the line. For ninth-seeded Iowa , a win would mean its first Final Four appearance since 1980.
This Elite Eight trip is Iowa's first since 1987 . The Hawkeyes are hoping to etch their name further into the history books after a March Madness run that's included wins over No. 8 seed Clemson , No.
1 seed and defending national champion Florida and over rival and No. 4 seed Nebraska . As tipoff nears, here's what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and stars Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell said about Iowa ahead of the Elite Eight date.
Illinois pregame press conference vs. Iowa basketball "Well, we're obviously very excited to be here. It's a tribute to these guys and their competitive spirit and work throughout the course of a very long season.