Illinois beats Iowa, reaches Final Four for first time since 2005
Illinois beat Big Ten rival Iowa in Elite 8 to move on to the Final Four, where the Illini will play the winner of the Duke-UConn game on April 4.
The first ticket to the Final Four has been punched. Behind 25 points from freshman superstar Keaton Wagler , No. 3 seed Illinois pulled away from No.
9 seed Iowa 71-59 on Saturday, March 28 in the Elite Eight of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament. The victory clinched the Fighting Illini’s first Final Four appearance since 2005, when a Deron Williams-led team that won 37 of its first 38 games fell to North Carolina in the national championship game. 'Got to stay ready.
' Real MVP of Elite 8 game after buzzer delay: Air horn Next Saturday in Indianapolis, they’ll face the winner of Sunday’s matchup between No. 1 overall seed Duke and No. 2 seed UConn.
With his father, former NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković, Andrej Stojaković had 17 points 7-of-9 shooting for Illinois. Tomislav Ivišić added 13 points and two blocks for the Illini. Despite a subpar outside shooting day from one of the nation’s best offenses, coach Brad Underwood’s team dominated the glass, getting 16 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second-chance points.