By IlliniGuys Staff

March 28, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

HOUSTON -- In the new world of college basketball, Illinois is asking 'why not us'?

The Illini spotted Big Ten rival Iowa a 12-2 lead, then methodically worked their way back and took control to win going away Saturday night, a 71-59 decision to win the NCAA South Regional championship and deny the Hawkeyes their first NCAA Final Four berth in 46 years.

3rd seeded Illinois (28-8) has drawn attention all season for an offense that's been ranked as one of the nation's best all years, but it has been their defense in this fortnight that has landed them in the national semifinals for just the third time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Illini holding three consecutive opponents to 60 points or less for the first time since December 2023.

"This group's special", Illinois head coach Brad Underwood told Turner Sports after the game. "We dealt with a lot of adversity in the first half. But our resilience was unbelievable. Guys just kept throwing body blows and we just kept hangin' in there. I couldn't be more proud."

Iowa entered the game as the 9-seed in the South Region final after eliminating Clemson, defending champion Florida, and fellow conference foe Nebraska to reach their first Elite Eight game since 1987. And they jumped out to a 12-2 lead on an Illini team they'd lost to in Iowa City in their only meeting on January 11th.

Illinois worked their way back behind Andrej Stojakovic. Developing into a lethal, slashing scoring weapon off the bench since returning from an ankle injury in mid-February, the 6-foot-7 guard scored on a variety of moves to make all four of his shots in the first half for 10 points as the Illini pulled within 32-28 at halftime. With Keaton Wagler scoring 11 points, the duo combined for all but seven of Illinois' points at the break.

Iowa was halfway toward its first Final Four berth in 46 years thanks to its hot shooting. The Hawkeyes, playing for first-year coach Ben McCollum, hit 11 three-pointers in the game to combat Illinois' dominance underneath. The Illini outscored their foes 40-12 in the paint.

The orange and blue would shut down the Hawkeyes' outside shooting as well. After hitting 57 percent from the field before halftime, Iowa was held to 6-of-26 shooting (24 percent) in the second half. All-Big Ten first teamer Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points, the last coming on a three-pointer at the 9:25 mark. The Hawkeyes managed just one field goal in the remainder of the game.

Meanwhile, Wagler took over. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year and consensus 2nd team All-American sprinkled 14 points throughout the half to finish with a game-high and personal NCAA tournament-best 25 points, landing the South Region Most Outstanding Player award as a result.

"I hate losing", the former two-time Kansas state champion told Shehadi told Turner Sports. "I'm a competitive guy. My teammates and coaches trust me and put the ball in my hands and I just go make plays."

"He's one of the best freshmen in America", said Underwood. "He's one of the best players in the country. He was awesome tonight."

Stojakovic finished with 17 points, just another piece of a multi-faceted Illinois effort. Tomislav Ivisic played perhaps his most inspired basketball, pouring in 13 points and grabbing four rebounds before fouling out. Freshman David Mirkovic, who with Stojakovic joined Wagler on the all-South Region Team, just missed his second double-double of the tournament with nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Underwood sends Illinois to its first Final Four since 2005 and its sixth overall. The Illini become the sixth different Big Ten team in the past 20 years to reach college basketball's final weekend.

Illinois continues a trend that has seen rare parity in the sport. They become the 19th different team to reach the Final Four this decade, a number that could grow with three of the other Elite Eight teams (Arizona, Michigan and Tennessee) who have yet to advance that far since 2020.

The Illini roll into Indianapolis proving they can win in a number of ways. Saturday night, they shot just 18 percent from three-point range - their lowest against a power conference opponent all season - but took advantage of being the tallest team in the country. They held a dominant 38-21 advantage on the boards to earn a short trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis, even closer to campus than the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis for the Illini's last Final Four in 2005.

That was when they made their first and only championship game appearance. Illinois returns having done something never seen before in program history - four straight NCAA tournament wins by double-digit margins. Maybe another first awaits in Indy; that elusive national title.

"We're living the dream!", says Underwood.