Iowa vs. Illinois live updates: Scores, analysis from men’s March Madness 2026 Elite Eight game

HOUSTON — For just the 17th time since seeding began in the NCAA Tournament in 1979, two conference foes will be playing in the Elite Eight. No. 3 seed Illinois and No. 9 seed Iowa have been playing against each other since 1908, but none of the meetings in more than a century of this rivalry have had these stakes. 

Illinois coach Brad Underwood has been on this stage before, guiding the Fighting Illini to their second Elite Eight in three years after a masterful performance against Houston in the Sweet 16. Underwood, in Year 9 with the Illini, has made the NCAA Tournament in six straight seasons. A trip to the Final Four is the next step.

On the other side is Ben McCollum, who in Year 1 has already put Iowa basketball in a spot where it has not been in more than 30 years. Coming over from Drake, he brought with him Bennett Stirtz and a handful of players who know his system and coaching style, allowing the program to hit the ground running. It was an up-and-down season, but the tournament success from last season at Drake seems to have translated to Division I.

Neither team has been to the Final Four in a generation. On Saturday night, one will be cutting down nets, hoisting a trophy and booking a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis to compete for the national championship.

CBS Sports will be with you throughout the entire way on Saturday with live updates, analysis and highlights as Illinois battles Iowa in the Elite Eight. Keep it locked here as the Fighting Illini and the Hawkeyes clash with a trip to the Final Four on the line, and you can watch all the action on March Madness Live.