Illinois punches first Final Four ticket of March Madness on big day in men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- Eight men's college basketball teams are competing in the Elite Eight regional finals this weekend, with two teams advancing to the Final Four in Indianapolis. The field includes four Big Ten schools, three No. 1 seeds, and notable programs Duke, UConn, and Cinderella team Iowa.
- Illinois defeated Iowa 71-59 in a closely contested Big Ten rivalry game, with freshman Keaton Wagler scoring 25 points and Andrej Stojakovic contributing 17 off the bench. Illinois will face the winner of the East Region final between Duke and UConn in the Final Four.
- Purdue and Arizona, the top two seeds in the West Regional, are set to face off in the nightcap game, with Purdue aiming to reach the Final Four in its home state of Indiana and Arizona seeking to advance past this round for the first time since 2015.
- On the women's side, top seeds South Carolina and Texas won their Sweet 16 games convincingly, while Michigan and TCU also advanced, setting up competitive matchups as the women's Elite Eight begins on Sunday.
- Sunday’s men's schedule features No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Michigan and a marquee "blue blood" matchup between No. 1 Duke and No. 2 UConn, with the winners advancing to the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 4.
