The Illini took down the Hawkeyes in Houston on Saturday night to claim the South Region. Here's what the pundits had to say.
Just over two weeks ago, Illinois walked off the United Center floor with heads hung low. After the Illini fell to Wisconsin in overtime of the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament – their fifth loss in nine games – they were set to enter the NCAA Tournament without one iota of momentum.
Has that less-than-desirable final month of the regular season mattered through two weekends of the Big Dance? Not in the slightest. After cruising past Penn in the Round of 64 with a 105-70 victory, Illinois followed that up with a 76-55 triumph over VCU in the Round of 32. Then the Illini met a monster in the form of Houston head-on –Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell cuts the net after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images But after taking care of the Cougars in the Sweet 16 – a contest Brad Underwood’s unit was in charge of wire-to-wire – Illinois met border-state rival Iowa, the No. 9 seed in the South Region. And after perhaps slightly overlooking the Hawkeyes, the Illini found themselves a hole. Slowly but surely, though, the Illini clawed their way out, and then eventually buried Iowa in its own patch in the dirt . Despite a season-worst effort from beyond the arc – both by percentage and volume ,With the Illini officially off to the Final Four for the first time since 2005, Illini Nation naturally had a sensational reaction. But the pundits – often harder to impress – were equally wowed by Saturday night's end. Here’s what they had to say:Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood celebrates after cutting down the net after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn ImagesBrad Underwood's adjustment to move Andrej Stojakovic to the 2 over the final few minutes was a game changer.It's 125 miles from Illinois' basketball complex in Champaign to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.6-foot-9 power forward rejects the screen, crossover, lob for a jam. A freshman from Shawnee, Kansas, and a freshman from Niksic, Montenegro just catapulted Illinois to a Final Four.The job Brad Underwood has done in Champaign is really, really impressive.The talent of Illinois is just ridiculous— and so fun to watch. Cannot say enough how brilliant of a job Brad Underwood did in putting this roster together. Brad Underwood has said previously that the path to making it to a Final Four was to just keep chipping away & make tournaments.Primarily covers Illinois football and basketball, and Kansas basketball, with an emphasis on analysis, features and recruiting. Langendorf, a third-generation University of Illinois alum, has been watching Illini basketball and football for as long as he can remember. An advertising student and journalism devotee, he has been writing for On SI since October 2024. He can be followed and reached on X @jglangendorf.How to Watch Illinois vs Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
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