Keaton Wagler Leads Illinois to First Final Four in 21 Years

For three minutes and 43 seconds, Illinois stood scoreless. Iowa carved out a double-digit lead before the first media timeout at Toyota Center in Houston, and the Hawkeyes were making an argument that the lowest seed in Big Ten tournament history could pull off one more impossible night. Then Keaton Wagler took over.

Wagler finished with 25 points Saturday, guiding the No. 3 seed Fighting Illini past No. 9 Iowa 71-59 in the South Regional final and delivering Illinois its first Final Four berth since the 2005 national championship game. The Illini, now 28-8 on the season, will face either Duke or UConn in Indianapolis next Saturday in the national semifinals.

Illinois trailed by four at halftime, but the second period turned into something else entirely. Eight lead changes crowded the first eight minutes of the half, producing a physical, foul-heavy game that tested both teams' composure. The turning point came inside: back-to-back hook shots by Tomislav Ivisic gave Illinois a five-point advantage with under five minutes remaining. A Wagler conversion in the lane stretched the lead to seven, and a David Mirković-to-Zvonimir Ivisic alley-oop made it 60-52 with 4:12 left, draining whatever life remained from the Hawkeye sideline.

Wagler's performance validated what The Athletic had labeled him entering the tournament: a future NBA lottery pick carrying a program to the sport's biggest stage. He had already shown his worth in the Sweet 16, shooting 4-for-14 against Houston but still finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 65-55 win over the second-seeded Cougars. Against Iowa, he was sharper, delivering the decisive scoring punch when Illinois needed it most. ESPN's Jeff Borzello had identified Bennett Stirtz as the individual matchup worth watching, noting that Stirtz managed only 12 points on 17 shots in the teams' regular-season meeting. Wagler answered every question Saturday.

Iowa's tournament run was the most remarkable in Hawkeye men's basketball in nearly four decades. Iowa had not reached the Elite Eight since 1987, and Ben McCollum's nine-seeded team made three straight opponents pay for underestimating them, including a 77-71 Sweet 16 victory over Nebraska. Saturday's stage was simply a step too far.

The historical weight of the matchup ran deep. This was the 173rd meeting between two programs that have played each other since 1908, and the first time they had ever met in the NCAA Tournament. Illinois entered leading the all-time series 95-77, with five consecutive wins and 10 victories in the last 11 matchups, a streak reflecting the sustained success Brad Underwood has built in Champaign across his nine-year tenure. Illinois had beaten Iowa 75-69 in Iowa City during the regular season, but tournament stakes in a neutral venue were different, and Iowa proved it by forcing Illinois into its longest offensive drought of the season at tipoff.

Before the game, former Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu posted on X: "Doing it for everyone who wore the Block I!" The Illini made good on it.

Illinois becomes just the 17th conference pairing to reach the Elite Eight against a Big Ten opponent since seeding began in 1979. The program has not played in a Final Four since head coach Bruce Weber took the 2005 team within one game of a national title. Two decades of near-misses ended Saturday night in Houston with Wagler hitting shots in the lane and an arena going orange.