Illinois’ second-half shift overwhelms No. 9 Iowa to advance to Final Four

HOUSTON — Forget the narratives, forget the drought. Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini just kicked the door down and cemented their names in Orange and Blue history.

“It’s not just me,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “It’s so many people that’ve helped along the way.”

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On a historic Saturday afternoon at the Toyota Center, No. 3 seed Illinois stared down a familiar foe and a 21-year drought, physically dismantling No. 9 seed Iowa 71-59 to punch their ticket to the Final Four for the first time since the 2005 ‘Flyin Illini’ team. Underwood’s squad proved they didn’t need a hot hand to make history, instead they just needed to be the toughest team in the building.

“You believe in something so much that it drives me every single day to want to make it happen,” Underwood said.

The win acts as ultimate confirmation that the late-game demons that haunted this team in December and January have been officially exorcised. The transformation to physical and defensive determination have removed the days of living and dying by the three and proved that this is a sustainable, championship-caliber team.

“One of the most fulfilling moments personally that I just had,” Underwood said. “Was standing on the ladder with the net and then seeing our fans.”

A Shaky Start

Iowa jumped right out of the gates with nine straight points to give Illinois its largest deficit through its first three games of the tournament. The Illini’s first five minutes weren’t up to par, and it took a bit for them to knock down their first bucket of the night, at the 16-minute mark.

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And the Hawkeyes didn’t slow down. Bennett Stirtz knocked down a mid-range fadeaway and his first triple of the night to stretch Iowa’s early lead and foreshadow how the rest of his night would go.

The Illini racked up just a single assist in the first half. Iowa had eight.

The defensive presence that Illinois showcased against Houston in Houston on Thursday was there….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/illinois-second-half-shift-overwhelms-200822879.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-29 20:08:00

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