Previewing Iowa's Big Ten Tournament Game With No. 24 Illinois

The Iowa Hawkeyes are feeling good after being Ohio State in Round 1 of the Big Ten Tournament, but up next is a tough Illinois Fighting Illini team.

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) and Kasparas Jakucionis (32) knock the ball from Iowa Hawkeyes forward Seydou Traore (7) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes did it, and those who have bet against them are about to run into a team that believes in itself and is playing tough basketball. By beating the Ohio State Buckeyes in Round 1 of the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday evening, the Hawkeyes have secured a Round 2 date with the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini.

Speaking of fighting, the Hawkeyes are fighting for their March Madness lives. Their only shot at making the NCAA Tournament is by securing the Big Ten's auto-bid, so you can best bet they're going to come out firing in this one.

Beating Ohio State has not only given them life, but now they officially have momentum. Don't look now, but this is a two game winning streak going back to beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road in Lincoln to end the season. Iowa has averaged 80 per game over the last two while holding its opponent to an average of 69 points.

The Fighting Illini may not play with the desperation that Iowa undoubtedly will — at the time of this writing they're slated in as a March Madness sixth seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi — but this is a team that very well could roll Iowa if things start going their way.

Illinois is the seventh seed in this tournament (Iowa was the 15th and final seed) and the Fighting Illini were ranked No. 24 nationally in the final AP Top 25 poll. They went 20-11 overall and 12-8 in Big Ten play with notable wins over No. 9 Oregon, No. 15 Michigan and No. 18 Purdue.

The latter two games were their final two games of the regular season and they ended the season on a three-game winning streak. The other team in that grouping was Iowa. The Illini beat the Hawkeyes, 81-61, on February 25 in Champaign.

The Fighting Illini are hot and they're led by freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis from Lithuania. He's averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.8 assist this season for Illinois. A few games ago against Iowa, he put up nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block.

This second round game is slated to tip-off at 6:30 PM EST at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.