Opening Odds for Illinois’ Elite Eight showdown with Iowa — and how to watch
· Yahoo Sports
How to Watch No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 9 Iowa (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight)
Game Time: 5:09 p.m. Saturday
TV Channel: TBS/TruTV
Visit mchezo.co.za for more information.
Online Streaming: March Madness Live
Odds: Illinois -5.5, O/U 137.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Quick Hits:
Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season)
Last Game: Illinois 65, Houston 55 (Sweet 16)
Iowa Hawkeyes (24-12, 10-10 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Ben McCollum (1st season)
Last Game: Iowa 77, Nebraska 71 (Sweet 16)
What Happened the Last Time These Two Teams Played?
Jan. 11, 2026: Illinois 75, Iowa 69
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Make that 10 of the last 11 against the Hawkeyes.
After losing five straight games to Iowa from 2018-20, Illinois has now won 10 of the last 11 in the series, including five straight, and two in a row on the road in Iowa City.
Illinois won its fifth straight game by walking into Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday morning and beating Iowa 75-69.
“Terrific win for us,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood postgame. “Beat a very, very good Iowa team…I thought our start was huge. Keeping this fanbase out of it. It was great to see a packed house and keeping them somewhat quiet throughout the first half was huge. I thought David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic were elite on the offensive side early and we caused them some problems. I thought Keaton [Wagler] in the second half was just really tough. All in all, very pleased. A road win in this league is like gold.”
Freshman Keaton Wagler continued his unbelievable freshman campaign, tallying 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in this contest. He scored 7 straight points for the Illini (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) in the midst of a huge Iowa run late in the second half.
Senior Kylan Boswell did his part too, scoring back-to-back crucial buckets with under three minutes to go. He finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists and had quite the impact on the defensive end as well. Boswell had 3 steals and helped keep Iowa star Bennett Stirtz in check.
“It’s amazing when he’s that dialed in how his offense comes along,” Underwood said. “Kylan’s unique. He’s got a great base. He’s got great strength. He’s got ultra quick hands. He picks your pocket. He fights over screens. It wasn’t just him, but it was him setting the tone.”
Boswell and Wagler combined to score the team’s final 20 points.
A quick 8-0 lead set the tone early on for the visiting Illini. Underwood’s squad led by as many as 18 points in the opening half and managed to go into the break with an 11-point lead.
Iowa was held to a mere 24 points on 32.1% shooting in the first half. By the third media timeout of the first half, Andrej Stojakovic had as many points as the entire Hawkeyes team. Stojakovic led Illinois with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting in the first half.
Unfortunately for Illinois, the Iowa (12-4, 2-3 B1G) offense came alive in the second half. A 16-4 Iowa run in the second half brought some energy to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and gave the Illini quite the scare.
“The game kinda went, from a defensive side of things, the way I had hoped,” Underwood said. “Other than giving them too many layups in the second half, I felt pretty good about it.”
Despite Stirtz battling foul trouble, the Hawkeye supporting cast cut a 17-point Illinois second half lead to just 4 points. In the end, Illinois’ star-studded backcourt of Boswell and Wagler did just enough to help Illinois escape Iowa City with a massive road win.