How to Watch Big Ten Tournament: Illinois Basketball vs. Iowa

The No. 7-seeded Illini should be mindful of the 15th-seeded Hawkeyes, despite having put the wood to them two weeks ago

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) looks to pass as Iowa Hawkeyes guard Carter Kingsbury (14) defends during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

How to Watch

No. 7 seed Illinois (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) vs. No. 15 seed Iowa (17-15, 7-13 Big Ten)

Day and time: Thursday (March 12) at approximately 8 p.m. CT
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: N/A
Listen: WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign)
WLS-AM 890 (Chicago)
Illini Sports Network affiliates (other local markets)
Varsity Network app
SiriusXM 372
SXM App 372

Odds and Ends

Illinois vs. Iowa all time: Illinois leads the series 93-77
Streak: Illinois has won three in a row against Iowa
Last meeting: Illinois 81, Iowa 61 (Feb. 25, 2025, Champaign)

Probable Illinois starters:

G Kasparas Jakucionis
G Kylan Boswell

G Tre White
F Will Riley
C Tomislav Ivisic

Back to 0-0.

📅 March 13
🆚 [10] Ohio State / [15] Iowa
⏰ 5:30 p.m. CT
📍 Gainbridge Fieldhouse
📺 Big Ten Network pic.twitter.com/ckFOuHMJ8N

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 12, 2025

Smart-Fan Stuff

Key stat: 37.8 percent

Iowa shares a few similarities with Illinois, including a preference for a brisk offensive pace and a hailstorm of three-pointers. The difference: The Hawkeyes hit a lot more of their long balls. Guard Brock Harding's three in the final seconds of Iowa's first-round win over Ohio State put the Hawkeyes at 10-for-24 on threes (41.7 percent) for the game and 37.8 percent for the season.

The Illini (31.0 percent on threes for the season) might sell their souls for those kind of percentages, but they've made their formula work by not only outrebounding the competition but, at their best, blanketing opposing perimeter shooters. In an 81-61 blowout loss to Illinois on Feb. 25, Iowa was held to 6-for-18 shooting on threes (33.3 percent). The Illini have other advantages in this matchup, but they can't afford to leave an opening for the Hawkeyes by allowing Harding, Josh Dix, Payton and Pryce Sandfort to get comfortable beyond the arc.

Quick tips:

• Illinois has the superior size in this matchup and, in theory, an even more pronounced advantage on the boards, where it ranks No. 8 in the NCAA in rebounding margin (plus-8.5), compared to No. 337 Iowa (minus-4.5). Oddly, the Hawkeyes got the best of the Illini on the glass (36-31) in that 20-point loss. It's hard to imagine that happening a second time, especially with forward Morez Johnson Jr. (broken wrist) rejoining his Illini mates.

• Illinois coach Brad Underwood revealed that guard Kasparas Jakucionis had a "terrible cough" entering the Purdue game, though Jakucionis played a team-high 38 minutes and hit the shot of the game in a win. Assuming he is 100 percent – and, for heaven's sake, no other calamity befalls the team in the interim – the Illini should be healthy Thursday for the first time since their Jan. 5 win at Washington.

Illinois on SI Prediction

The Hawkeyes have come up big with victories in back-to-back must-win games, including an 83-68 shellacking of Nebraska in Lincoln to squeak into the Big Ten Tournament and then a 77-70 first-round upset of Ohio State on Wednesday. They're getting it done with offense, shooting over 50 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three over the two wins.

Even as the Illini reacclimate to a full roster and readjust their roles, they should be able to count on their size, athleticism and recent defensive tweaks to hold the Hawkeyes to more modest shooting figures. If they finish plays by clearing the ball after stops – and get a handful of extra possessions from rebounds of their own misses – the Illini should have enough breathing room (even accounting for a typically meh shooting performance from the perimeter) to push past Iowa into the semifinals.

Illinois 89, Iowa 81

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

A Look Back on Illinois Basketball's 2024 Big Ten Tournament Title

Why Illinois Basketball's Impressive NET Ranking Is So Important

NCAA.com Projects Tournament Path for Illinois Women's Basketball