Iowa is known for its Field of Dreams. This Hawkeyes’ improbable run to the Elite Eight is what dreams are made of.
“Every time someone asks how you’re feeling, like, ‘Man, it’s just super crazy,’” Iowa junior Cam Manyawu said. “To really think, ‘Yeah, I’m in the Elite Eight, and I have a chance to really make it to the Final Four and go on a run.’ I mean, this is literally the stuff that kids dream about.”
This is the Hawkeyes’ first trip to the Elite Eight since 1987. “Walk Like An Egyptian” was the top song and gas cost $0.96 a gallon.
And Ben McCollum was 6 years old.
Iowa’s coach has proven to be a March wizard. He won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, sprung a first round upset in his lone year at Drake, and now in Year 1 in Iowa City has the Hawkeyes on the cusp of their first Final Four since 1980.
The Illini are back in the Elite Eight for the second time in three years and have been among the most impressive teams in this NCAA Tournament. Illinois’ wins have been comprehensive. It beat Penn by 25 in the first round, VCU by 21 in the second round and beat Houston — in a home game for the Cougars — by 10 in the Sweet 16.
The winner of today’s game advances to next week’s Final Four in Indianapolis. Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
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Iowa vs Illinois live score
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.
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 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.
∎ Read more about Keaton Wagler’s rise from unknown for freshman superstar.
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