Iowa basketball Elite Eight tipoff time, TV vs. Illinois announced

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Mar 27, 2026 - 15:30
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Iowa basketball Elite Eight tipoff time, TV vs. Illinois announced

Fresh off an exhilarating 77-71 win over No. 4 seed Nebraska in the Sweet 16, ninth-seeded Iowa (24-12, 10-10 Big Ten) is headed to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.

The Hawkeyes got a number of key contributions once more, including from freshman Tate Sage, who emerged as one of the game's shining stars. Sage, a 6-foot-7 freshman from Weatherford, Okla., poured in 19 points off the Hawkeye bench on 6-of-10 shooting.

As has so often been the case, Iowa senior point guard Bennett Stirtz led the Hawkeyes with 20 points on a 7-for-15 shooting effort.

Who will Iowa play next with a trip to the Final Four on the line? The Hawkeyes are set to meet No. 3 seed Illinois (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten). The Illini downed No. 2 seed Houston in the nightcap, 65-55, behind some stellar defense and 14 points from freshman forward David Mirkovic.

With the all-Big Ten final set in the South Region, its tipoff time and TV info was announced very early Friday morning. Iowa meets Illinois on Saturday, March 28 from the Toyota Center in Houston for a 5:09 p.m. CT tipoff. The game will air on TBS.

Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (color), Stan Van Gundy (color) and Lauren Shehadi (sideline) will again have the TV call as the Hawkeyes look to reach their first Final Four since 1980.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball Elite Eight tipoff time, TV vs. Illinois announced

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