Illinois vs Iowa score, highlights: Illini advance to Final Four after late push

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Illinois vs Iowa score, highlights: Illini advance to Final Four after late push

Matthew Glenesk and Austin Curtright, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 ·

14 min read

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It's only fitting that the Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and Illinois, two Big Ten foes, came down to perhaps the two best guards in the conference trading bucket after bucket in the second half.

Illinois' Keaton Wagler and Iowa's Bennett Stirtz , both first-team All-Big Ten selections this season, scored 25 and 24 points, respectively, in a game that featured 13 lead changes on Saturday, March 28. But it was the Fighting Illini that came out in the end, securing the first spot in the Final Four with an 71-59 win in the South Region final .

'Got to stay ready.' Real MVP of Elite 8 game after buzzer delay: Air horn

Unbreakable resolve: Inside Ben McCollum's 'insane' Iowa ride to Elite 8

Iowa took a 32-28 lead into halftime, but Illinois quickly took back the lead early in the second half. Both teams traded the lead numerous times in the coming moments. The Illini ultimately flexed their muscles in the final 20 minutes, outscoring Iowa 43-27 as the Hawkeyes ran out of gas, only making 1 of their last 13 shots.

It's Illinois' first Final Four in 21 years, when the Deron Williams-led squad fell in the national championship to North Carolina in 2005. Iowa's magical run comes to an end, and now it'll look to build on its impressive first season with coach Ben McCollum at the helm.

Here are the highlights from Illinois' Final Four-clinching win over conference rival Iowa:

Iowa vs Illinois score

TEAMS	1H	2H	F
Iowa	32	27	59
Illinois	28	41	71

Iowa vs Illinois highlights

This section will be updated live.

Illinois wins 71-59, advances to Final Four

Illinois is going to the Final Four. What a run by coach Brad Underwood and Co., who are beyond capable of winning a national title.

Illinois takes over

It's but nothing but Illinois in the final moments. Andrej Stojakovic is at the free-throw line with a 69-59 lead with under a minute left in the game. Iowa's magical run comes to an end, but Illinois' is continuing.

Andrej Stojakovic with a huge and-one

Andrej Stojakovic drives to the lane and scores as he's fouled in an aggressive shot near the rim. He makes the free throw to give Illinois a 63-55 lead. His dad could shoot better than him, but he couldn't finish at the rim like that.

Illinois pulling away

Illinois' lead grows to 60-52 with 4:06 left following an alley-oop dunk from David Mirkovic to Zvonomir Ivisic, which results in an Iowa timeout. The Hawkeyes need to stop the bleeding fast, as they've been outscored 10-1 over the past few minutes.

Illinois leads 56-51

Tomislav Ivisic's 9-foot hook shot gives Illinois a 56-51 lead with 5:43 left, forcing an Iowa timeout. Illinois' 6-0 run has the Fighting Illini back in solid position heading into crunch time.

What a game so far in Houston .

Bennett Stirtz gives Iowa back lead

Bennett Stirtz buries a 3-pointer to give Iowa a 49-48 lead with less than nine minutes to go. Stirtz and Wagler are trading buckets and proving why they were both first-team All-Big Ten picks this season.

Stirtz is up to 22 points. The next highest scorer for Iowa has six.

Cooper Koch makes second 3-pointer of second half

Iowa true freshman Cooper Koch is heating up, with two 3-pointers already this half. His second 3-pointer gives Iowa a 42-41 lead with 13:22 remaining in regulation.

Iowa and Illinois are up to nine scoring changes in the last six minutes as both teams are trading buckets for a spot in the Final Four. We have a classic brewing.

Keaton Wagler hits crazy step-back 3-pointer

Keaton Wagler hits a nasty step-back move that sends his defender stumbling before sinking a 3-pointer. That's why he's a projected top-10 pick, folks.

Illinois takes 39-38 lead

Keaton Wagler drives to the lane and makes an acrobatic layup as he's fouled, then makes his lone free-throw shot. The 3-point play gives Illinois a 39-38 lead heading into the under-16 timeout. Here come the Illini.

David Mirkovic with the and-one

David Mirkovic opens the second half with an and-one layup, converting the free throw after the foul. Illinois starting the second half strong.

Iowa leads Illinois 32-28 at halftime

Iowa leads Illinois 32-28 at halftime behind an impressive first 20 minutes of action from Bennett Stirtz, who has 15 points with two rebounds and two assists. Keaton Wagler is leading the way for the Fighting Illini, with 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Can Iowa go 2-for-2 against Big Ten opponents in the NCAA Tournament?

Stirtz scores five points out of delay

The 11-minute delay finally ends, and it didn't affect Bennett Stirtz. Stirtz drives to the lane for a layup before hitting his third 3-pointer of the game, which puts him at a game-high 15 points already.

Iowa leads Illinois 27-24 with under five minutes left in the half.

Horn issues delay game

The horns are stuck with an unpleasant sound, pausing play in Houston. Players and various personnel are awaiting play resuming.

Sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi said the horn was unplugged but it's still going off, and now players are shooting on the court to stay warm. What a situation!

"This is like a torture chamber," play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan says on the broadcast.

Iowa leads 22-20 at under-8 timeout

Illinois star Keaton Wagler is heating up, after he nails a 3-pointer and sinks a tough bucket off the glass to pull Illinois within 23-20 of Iowa with 7:43 to go in the first half. Wagler, a second-team All-American as a freshman, has seven points on 3-of-4 shooting so far.

Bennett Stirtz is cooking

The first-team All-Big Ten selection is cooking, with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with two 3-pointers already. His midrange pull-up jumper gives Iowa a 17-13 lead with just over 11 minutes to go in the first half.

Andrej Stojakovic makes layup as he's fouled

Illinois' Andrej Stojakovic has been a spark plug for the Fighting Illini all season, and he instantly makes an impact coming off the bench. He gets the layup and the foul on a transition chance, although he misses the free throw.

The son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic already has four points and two steals, and is averaging 14.3 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa leads 12-2 early

Iowa showed up to play today, as it already leads 12-2 early in the first half over Illinois. Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz and Kael Combs have five points each, and the offense is giving the Fighting Illini fits so far.

Iowa wins tip, and we're off

Iowa wins the tipoff to start the Elite Eight against Illinois. The Hawkeyes and Fighting Illini have faced once this season, which ended in a 75-69 win for Illinois.

What time is Iowa vs Illinois in Elite 8?

Time:6:09 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 28.

What channel is Iowa vs Illinois ? How to watch, streaming info

The game is airing on TBS/truTV, streaming via Sling TV.

Iowa vs Illinois prediction, odds

∎ Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register :Illinois 73, Iowa 64

Once the Hawkeyes took down Florida in the Round of 32, the path to the Elite Eight was pretty clear and not a far-fetched idea. But the path to the Final Four is a whole heck of a lot different with Illinois in the way.

The Illini took down the Hawkeyes, 75-69, back in January, and the game honestly wasn't as close as the score indicated. In the second half of that game, the Hawkeyes only had an 18.3% chance to win at their best moment, according to ESPN. Iowa did not lead for a single second in that meeting. With a trip to the Final Four on the line, Illinois won't be letting up either.

∎ Adam Duvall, Peoria Journal Star : Illinois 68, Iowa 62

Look for Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic to once again be a big factor off the bench. His offensive output in the last three tourney games as resulted in 14.3 points per game. But the Illinois defense stepped up big time, holding Houston to its lowest point total since 2024. Now, the Hawkeyes will try to dictate the tempo and play at its own pace. Iowa has won its three tournament games all by single digits and a combined 13 points. First-year coach Ben McCollum looks to put Iowa into the Final Four for the first time since 1980.

John Leuzzi:Iowa
Jordan Mendoza:Illinois
Ehsan Kassim:Illinois
Austin Curtright:Illinois
Moneyline:Illinois (-300), Iowa (+240)
Spread:Illinois (-6.5)
Over/under total:137.5

Illinois will advance to Final Four if...

John Leuzzi:It replicates what it did defensively against Houston.
Jordan Mendoza:It controls the interior.
Ehsan Kassim:Wagler can win the matchup against Stirtz.
Austin Curtright:If its defense plays like it did against Houston.

Iowa will advance to Final Four if...

John Leuzzi:It limits Illinois on offensive rebounds, and second chance opportunities.
Jordan Mendoza:it's knocking down 3-pointers.
Ehsan Kassim:Hawkeyes can make the game slower paced and Illinois misses shots.
Austin Curtright:Its bench contributors of Alvaro Folgueiras, Tate Sage and others continue their strong play.

What happened when Illinois, Iowa played in regular season?

Iowa and Illinois played just once this season, a top-20 matchup on Jan. 11 in Iowa City. Illinois led by 11 at halftime, but the Hawkeyes made a push before an eventual 75-69 Illinois win.

"I think Iowa's a team that's not going to go away," Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler said. "When we played 'em, we got up early on them, and then we let them back in the game. We can't get lackadaisical on that side of the ball on defense, just stick to our process throughout the whole game."

Wagler led the Illini with 19 points, while Bennett Stirtz struggled, going 5-of-17 from the field.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) walk off the court after the game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Is Andrej Stojakovic related to Peja Stojakovic?

Yes, Peja is his dad. Peja Stojakovic played 13 seasons in the NBA, primarily for the Sacramento Kings , and was a three-time All-Star.

Andrej played at Cal and Stanford before transferring to Illinois.

When was last time Iowa was in Final Four? How many times has Iowa been to Final Four?

Iowa has been to three Final Fours. Their last appearance in the Final Four is in 1980 under Lute Olsen. The Hawkeyes have never won a national championship.

When was last time Illinois was in Final Four? How many times has Illinois been to Final Four?

The Illini have been to the Final Four five times. Their last appearance was in 2005 under Bruce Weber. Illinois has never won a national championship.

How many Europeans are on Illinois' team? Why does Illinois have so many Europeans on its roster?

David Mirkovic is from Montenegro
Andrej Stojakovic lists Thessaloniki, Greece as his hometown
Tomislav Ivisic is from Croatia
Zvonimir Ivisic is from Croatia
Mihailo Petrovic is from Serbia
Toni Bilic is from Croatia

"Geoff Alexander, Orlando Antigua deserve most all of the credit in terms of building the relationships in Europe," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "It's taken years. NIL has obviously helped enhance our abilities to attract some of the best players in Europe. But they're a great fit for us. It's not for everybody. I enjoy coaching 'em. They fit our university. We're a diverse university with a lot of international students, so it's a perfect fit for them.

"Basketball-wise it's a great fit for me, and I like coaching them. The way we're playing with positional size and shooting, it's just — it's a great marriage and a great fit. So we'll continue it. I would think others will continue to migrate over there and keep trying to recruit those guys."

Bennett Stirtz followed Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa

The Hawkeyes' leading scorer Bennett Stirtz (19.7 ppg) has followed Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake, transferred from Drake to Iowa, following McCollum again. The two were key to the Bulldogs' first-round upset of Missouri in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

"Yeah, the amount of trust I have in him, and that he never lies to anyone on this team, including me. He shoots it straight," Stirtz said on his relationship with McCollum. "Even when it's tough and even when it's hard. He pushes you past your limit and I think that's where the trust comes in and he cares about you a lot and wants to make you a better person. So, yeah, he just pushes everyone on this team and honestly you can see the benefit from that and even in the wins that he's all had throughout his career, he doesn't get complacent. So that's what we need to do and continue to do is even though we beat a 1 seed, we can't get complacent, we got to keep getting better every day and get ready for the game tomorrow."

Why does Alvaro Folgueiras point to sky after 3-pointers?

Folgueiras points up at the sky after every 3-pointer he makes in honor of his dad, who died when he was 9 years old. He pointed at the sky after hitting his eventual game-winner against Florida, although he waited for the Gators' timeout after running back on defense.

Folgueiras expressed what his family means to him after the game, and mentioned his mom being a rock throughout his childhood without his dad.

"He left us with my mom and my brother in my house," he said. "It was kind of hard. We didn't really feel it as much because my mom always made sure that we didn't need anything, absolutely nothing. So, I cannot say that I grew up in an environment where I needed some things. No, that's not the truth.

"Sometimes I can say that because I feel his absence. I was just going in the court and playing to get away of my house to be with something else. But I can say that I had a happy childhood. Something that we all said, and everyone has these kinds of things on their life.

"It's that we are not victims. I never let things like that make me a victim. Not to me and not to my brother, not to my mom. We are like that because my mom was showing out every single day. Yeah."

Keaton Wagler 2026 NBA Draft mock draft prediction

Atlanta Hawks , pick No. 7.

Kalbrosky's Analysis:

After trading away Trae Young, the Hawks could find their point guard of the future in Illinois standout Keaton Wagler using a first-round pick they received from the Pelicans. The 19-year-old guard scored 46 points while shooting 9-of-11 on 3-pointers against No. 12 Purdue on Jan. 24. He projects as one of the best 3-point shooters in this class, shooting 41.0 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman this year. The Big Ten Rookie of the Year is a cerebral basketball player who is also averaging 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season.

Keaton Wagler stats

(all stats as of March 15)

17.9 points per game
4.8 rebounds per game
4.4 assists per game
44.6% field goal percentage
40.2% three-point field goal percentage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Illinois vs Iowa score, highlights: Illini advance to Final Four

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