The first ticket to the Final Four has been punched.
Behind 25 points from freshman superstar Keaton Wagler, No. 3 seed Illinois pulled away from No. 9 seed Iowa 71-59 on Saturday, March 28 in the Elite Eight of the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament.
The victory clinched the Fighting Illini’s first Final Four appearance since 2005, when a Deron Williams-led team that won 37 of its first 38 games fell to North Carolina in the national championship game.
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Next Saturday in Indianapolis, they’ll face the winner of Sunday’s matchup between No. 1 overall seed Duke and No. 2 seed UConn.
With his father, former NBA All-Star Peja Stojaković, Andrej Stojaković had 17 points 7-of-9 shooting for Illinois. Tomislav Ivišić added 13 points and two blocks for the Illini.
Despite a subpar outside shooting day from one of the nation’s best offenses, coach Brad Underwood’s team dominated the glass, getting 16 offensive rebounds that led to 13 second-chance points.
The Illini took control late in what had been a back-and-forth game that featured seven ties and 13 lead changes. Trailing 51-50 with 7:20 remaining in regulation, Illinois rattled off eight unanswered points while holding Iowa scoreless for 2:54 and without a made field goal for 5:37.
In his final college game, Bennett Stirtz had a team-high 24 points for the Hawkeyes, who were appearing in their first Elite Eight since 1987. Nobody else on Iowa’s team had more than 10 points.
After shooting 57.1% from the field in the first half, the Hawkeyes shot just 23.1% in the second half, missing 20 of their 26 field-goal attempts, including 12 of their final 13 shots.
When is the Final Four?
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Final Four Dates: Saturday, April 4 and Monday, April 6
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Illinois vs Iowa: Illini beat Hawkeyes in Elite 8, advance to Final Four
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