Iowa basketball’s Elite Eight opponent in the 2026 NCAA Tournament is set.
After defeating Nebraska in the Sweet 16, the Hawkeyes will take on 3-seed Illinois in the March Madness Elite Eight on Saturday in Houston. The game is slated to tip-off at 5:09 pm. CT and will be broadcast on TBS and truTV.
The Huskers boast a 27-8 overall record following a Sweet 16 win over Houston on Thursday. Let’s take a deeper dive into the matchup and make a prediction for the Elite Eight of men’s March Madness.
Buy Iowa NCAA tournament tickets vs. Illinois
What are some of Illinois basketball’s notable results in 2025-26?
The Illini dominated their first two NCAA Tournament opponents, winning by an average of 28 points.
During the regular season, Illinois cruised for the most part. They defeated No. 4 Purdue, which has also advanced to the Elite Eight, took down Nebraska once, and defeated Iowa in Iowa City. However, they got a bit shaky toward the tail end of the campaign, falling to UCLA in the regular season and bowing out of the NCAA Tournament against Wisconsin.
Who are Illinois’ top players?
Keaton Wagler is the guy to keep an eye on for Illinois. He averages a team-high 17.8 points per game and also has a team-leading 4.4 assists per contest. The Illini have five players averaging double figures in scoring: Wagler, David Mirkovic (13.6), Andrej Stojakovic (13.5), Kylan Boswell (13.1) and Tomislav Ivisic (10.2). In their win over Iowa, Wagler had 19 points while Boswell and Stojakovic each had 17.
Iowa vs Illinois betting odds: March Madness Elite 8
All odds come from BetMGM
Iowa vs Illinois prediction: March Madness Elite 8
Once the Hawkeyes took down Florida in the Round of 32, the path to the Elite Eight was pretty clear and not a far-fetched idea. But the path to the Final Four is a whole heck of a lot different with Illinois in the way.
The Illini took down the Hawkeyes, 75-69, back in January, and the game honestly wasn’t as close as the score indicated. In the second half of that game, the Hawkeyes only had an 18.3% chance to win at their best moment, according to ESPN. Iowa did not lead for a single second in that meeting. With a trip to the Final Four on the line, Illinois won’t be letting up either.
Illinois 73, Iowa 64
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa basketball vs Illinois prediction, our pick for NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
Reporting by HawkCentral staff report, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
