Illinois defeats Iowa, advances to Final Four in March Madness tournament; Purdue loses to Arizona

March 29, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Illinois defeated Iowa 71-59 Saturday, advancing to the Final Four in the March Madness tournament for the first time in 21 years.

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Meanwhile, Purdue took on Arizona Saturday night, making it a massive weekend for the Big Ten. The Boilermakers fell short, losing 79-64.

March Madness fans attended watch parties in Chicago for the college basketball games.

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Given the success Illinois coach Brad Underwood has had with recruits from Eastern Europe, he plans to keep adding such players to his team and is sure that many others will follow suit.

Underwood's third-seeded Illini met Big Ten foe and No. 9 seed Iowa Saturday night in the NCAA Tournament's South Region final with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Led by first-year coach Ben McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, Iowa was in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.

Illinois has earned its sixth trip to the Final Four and first since 2005, while Iowa had hoped to return to the national semifinals for the first time since 1980 and fourth overall. Neither school has won a national title.

Illinois' Ben Humrichous knocks the ball away from Iowa's Kael Combs during an Elite Eight game in the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

A buzzer malfunction caused a delay - a very loud, very unpleasant delay - of about 10 minutes in the first half of the NCAA Tournament's South Region final between Iowa and Illinois on Saturday night.

When the buzzer sounded out of a media timeout with 7:43 left in the first half, it kept blaring uninterrupted for about seven minutes. Players stood on the court ready to play for a couple of minutes before both teams started to warm up as the buzzer continued to sound.

It was finally silenced, to cheers from the crowd, but then the main scoreboard and video screen that hangs over the middle of the court went dark.

The game ultimately resumed with the big scoreboard still off. Two smaller scoreboards at each end of the arena were working.

Illinois fans packed bars across Chicago and they were on top of the world, already making plans to head to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

"A long time coming," an Illini fan named Kristen said. "I already bought tickets for the Final Four. I'm going back baby."

Illini fans filled with energy and relief as the men's basketball team survived a back and forth affair against the rival Iowa Hawkeyes.

"Electric. We've got all the people here, they're excited about it, the city's feeling it," an Illini fan named Alex said. "This is an Illinois team, this is an Illinois city. We're excited about it."

The Elite Eight matchup showcased Big Ten dominance in what has been a tournament dominated by the conference, with many of those fans now in Chicago tuning into every minute.

"Home of the Big Ten. What a great turnout," Illini fan Shawn Trivedi said. "The Big Ten is doing great, but U of I, my god, gotta love them."

Iowa fans also joined the action at Standard Bar and Grill, but they left rather quickly after falling short to the Illini.

Illinois fans say there's something special about this team, marking the schools first trip to the Final Four since 2005.

"I'm feeling amazing this is a dream come true for me," an Illini named James said. "I'm 30 now. I've been waiting for this 20-plus years. It means the world to me."

"There is nothing that can compare to this," Illini fan Jessie garmon said. "It's such a great feeling to be surrounded by other Illini fans that are just so excited to see us go this far in the tournament."

The Illini team will take on the winner of the UConn-Duke matchup.

Meanwhile Saturday, there were new liquor laws in place in Champaign, Illinois. The mayor signed an executive order, citing concerns to public health.

After 3 p.m. Saturday, bars and restaurants cannot serve alcohol in glass containers. And retailers are banned from selling packaged alcohol or to-go cocktails after 6 p.m. Alcohol deliveries are also being banned after 6 p.m.

The restrictions will remain in place until 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

As the Fighting Illini take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight, there will be new liquor laws in place in Champaign.

Purdue was also in action Saturday night as one of four Big Ten teams to make it to this point in the tournament.

Fans at Weathermark Tavern in South Loop tuned into that matchup against Arizona, hoping for more Big Ten representation in the Final Four, but Purdue could not make it happen.

Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer began their time at Purdue with a lopsided win at Mackey Arena against Milwaukee.

With a win against top-seeded Arizona in the NCAA Tournament's West Region final on Saturday night, the trio of stars can end their decorated careers a short drive from campus on college basketball's biggest stage: the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The four-year journey for Smith, Kaufman-Renn and Loyer has been a bit of a roller coaster, with some heartbreaking lows like losing as a No. 1 seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Fairleigh Dickinson as freshmen and exhilarating highs like reaching the title game the following season. This year, the second-seeded Boilermakers beat Texas in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night on a last-second tip-in by Kaufman-Renn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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