3 Things Iowa Fans Need to Know About Illinois

Just 244 miles separate the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If someone were to hop in a car and drive between Iowa City and Champaign, it’d take them just three and a half hours to traverse the journey on Interstate 80 and Interstate 74.

It’s safe to say that the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini know quite a bit about one another heading into their Elite Eight matchup in the NCAA tournament, which makes this game extremely enticing and interesting on so many levels.

Not only is this a win-or-go-home clash with a trip to the Final Four on the line, but there are also personal stakes that permeate deep throughout every aspect of the competition.

Even though there’s deep familiarity, it’s still important to get to know the opponent before tipoff at 5:09 p.m. CDT at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Here are three things every Iowa fan should know about Illinois.

Limited Depth, No Problem

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) reacts against the Houston Cougars in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Illinois is a team that possesses a starting five that will feast on just about any team’s lunch, and that’s about it. The bench depth is somewhat lacking, though that hasn’t inhibited it from rolling through the NCAA tournament and into the Elite Eight.

The Fighting Illini have five players who are averaging at least 10 points — Keaton Wagler (17.7 points per game), David Mirkovic (13.7), Andrej Stojakovic (13.5), Kylan Boswell (12.9) and Tomislav Ivisic (10.0) — with the next closest scorer putting up just 6.7 points per game (Zvonimir Ivisic). On paper, that’s not great for Illinois, but it actually plays into the Fighting Illini’s hands more than you’d think.

Iowa can’t just focus on stopping one player — like Wagler, for instance — but will instead have to somehow limit the production of the entire starting five. That’s almost an impossible task, which is why this Illinois team is so hard to take down.

The Fighting Illini Are Rolling

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) reacts against the Houston Cougars in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Illinois really hasn’t faced much adversity through the first three games of the tournament. It completely dismantled Penn in Round 1 by a score of 105-70 before making VCU, which had just upset North Carolina, look like a Division III school in the second round. Even Houston, which made the national title game last year, couldn’t handle Illinois in the Sweet 16.

All told, Illinois is an extremely intimidating team, one that many people had as a dark horse candidate to win it all. So far, it’s shown the world that it can absolutely compete with the best in the country.

The Coincidence of the Century

Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Iowa head coach Ben McCollum and Illinois head man Brad Underwood have an unlikely connection that’s still somewhat mind-boggling. McCollum coached at the Division II ranks for 15 years, winning four national championships at Northwest Missouri State. While he was there, his best player was Trevor Hudgins, a point guard from Manhattan, Kansas, who helped Northwest Missouri State claim three consecutive NCAA Division II championships.

INSANE random connection here.

Trevor Hudgins is perhaps the best player Ben McCullom has ever coached. The duo produced three DII National Titles, and Hudgins was 2x DII National Player of the Year.

Hudgins grew up in Manhattan, Kansas. His third grade teacher? Brad… pic.twitter.com/hsIwvGGXbS
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) March 27, 2026

What an insane feat. But that’s not where the intrigue lies. Underwood was an assistant coach at Kansas State, which is located in Manhattan, from 2006-11. It was while he was there that his wife, Susan, taught Hudgins in the third grade. That’s a coincidence that is so unthinkable that, on paper, there’s no way it’s true. But it is, and it’s an amazing story.

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