March Madness: Illinois and Arizona Qualify for the 2026 Final Four

The first Elite Eight evening delivered its verdict with two significant Final Four qualifications. Illinois controlled Iowa (71-59) in a game disrupted by technical incidents, while Arizona staged a spectacular comeback against Purdue (79-64) to return to the final four after a quarter-century absence.

Illinois Survives Chaotic Game Against Iowa

The Illini secured their Final Four ticket by defeating the surprising Iowa team, the #9 seed, 71-59. Down 32-28 at halftime, Brad Underwood’s squad reversed the trend thanks to their physical impact and rebounding dominance (38 to 21, including 16 offensive rebounds).

Keaton Wagler led Illinois’ offense with 25 points, supported by Andrej Stojakovic (17 points) and Tomislav Ivisic (13 points). The latter showed no lack of confidence: « At halftime, I told coach Tyler: they can’t defend me, » declared the center.

The game was marked by an unusual technical incident, with a stuck buzzer causing an interruption of over eleven minutes. Despite this disrupted context, Illinois kept their composure to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

brb gonna watch this Keaton Wagler stepback for a while pic.twitter.com/vptIQOJ1kj

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 28, 2026

Arizona Stages Magnificent Comeback Against Purdue

In the evening’s second game, Arizona delivered a stunning performance by defeating Purdue 79-64. Down 38-31 at halftime, the Wildcats completely changed dimensions after the locker room break, inflicting a resounding 48-26 on the Boilermakers in the second half.

Koa Peat was the architect of this historic qualification with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, becoming the West Region’s Most Outstanding Player. The freshman even broke Mike Bibby’s record for most points scored by an Arizona freshman in the Elite Eight. « Our leaders talked to us at halftime. They told us to keep going, stay calm. We stayed together, » explained Peat after the game.

This victory ends a series of five consecutive Elite Eight failures for Arizona and gives the Wildcats their first Final Four since 2001. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona’s coach, was full of praise for his young talent: « We call him Mr. Arizona. Koa is special. »

KOA PEAT WITH AUTHORITY 🔨 pic.twitter.com/RIq9Cq4Nrq

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026