College Basketball

Ben McCollum’s dream run through the NCAA tournament is over. No. 3 Illinois finally pulled away from the Hawkeyes late in the second half on Saturday night in their Elite Eight matchup to grab a 71-59 win at the Toyota Center in Houston. That officially secured the Illini their first trip to the Final Four since 2005, when they fell …

And then, there were eight. That’s right, there are eight teams left in the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament, with the Elite Eight coming on Saturday and Sunday to set up the Final Four to begin the end of March Madness. The second game on Saturday? That would be No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona. And if you’re here, you …