Illinois and Arizona punch their tickets to the men’s Final Four. Two more teams will join them on Sunday
Illinois guard Kylan Boswell controls the ball against Iowa Hawkeyes defenders in Elite Eight action at Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas. - Maria Lysaker/Imagn Images/Reuters Connect Two spots remain in the men’s Final Four after dominant wins on Saturday by Illinois and Arizona, who are heading to the NCAA tournament’s final weekend for the first time since the early part of this century. The Illini and Wildcats both faced tough challenges but eventually pulled away easily in their Elite Eight games on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the women’s NCAA tournament wrapped up the Sweet 16 round on Saturday and tickets will be punched to the women’s Final Four in Phoenix on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know from Saturday, and what to watch on Sunday. Illinois pulls away from Iowa late in rivalry showdown Saturday’s doubleheader started with an all-Big Ten showdown between South Region No.
9 seed Iowa and No. 3 seed Illinois in Houston. The Hawkeyes, who went just 10-10 in Big Ten conference play during the season, have looked like a totally different team in March Madness.
That trend continued in the early minutes of their game against Illinois as Iowa got off to an early 9-0 lead. Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz shoots a finger roll against Illinois in the Elite Eight of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament. - Troy Taormina/Imagn Images/Reuters Connect Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic, son of longtime NBA player Peja Stojakovic, brought a spark coming off the bench as the Illini battled back to cut the deficit down to one point.
But a hot hand from Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz, who scored 15 points in the first half, kept the Hawkeyes in front with a 32-28 lead at halftime. There was a delay of 11 minutes in the middle stages of the first half when the horn in the Toyota Center wouldn’t stop blaring. Eventually officials had to unplug the entire overhead scoreboard to stop the noise and the game continued with a handheld airhorn.
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