Student fans and others celebrate at the University of Illinois Alma Mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Students celebrate on campus in Champaign after No. 3 seed Illinois beat No. 9 seed Iowa 71-59 in an Elite Eight game on March 28, 2026, to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
A fan climbs a streetlight post near the University of Illinois Alma Mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Student fans and others celebrate at the University of Illinois alma mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Student fans and others celebrate at the University of Illinois Alma Mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans celebrate as Illinois takes the lead over Iowa in the second half of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans show concern on their faces as Illinois trails by nine points in the first minutes of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game against Iowa, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans watch the first half of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans watch the first half of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans celebrate after watching an Illinois 3-pointer to take the lead over Iowa in the second half of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans celebrate as Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Student fans celebrate while sitting on a tree branch near the University of Illinois Alma Mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Student fans pose for pictures with police officers on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Final Four T-shirts are sold from a trailer on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Student fans and others celebrate at the University of Illinois Alma Mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Student fans and others celebrate at the University of Illinois Alma Mater statue on the Champaign-Urbana campus after Illinois beats Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game March 28, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans wait in line to enter KAMS bar at the corner of First and Green streets on March 28, 2026, in Champaign, ahead of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans show concern on their faces while watching the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Students wait in line to enter Brothers Bar & Grill in the 600 block of South 1st Street on March 28, 2026, in Champaign, ahead of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Students wait in line to enter KAMS bar at the corner of First and Green streets on March 28, 2026, in Champaign, ahead of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Students are packed in a balcony space at KAMS bar on the corner of First and Green streets on March 28, 2026, in Champaign, ahead of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans show concern on their faces as Illinois trails by nine points in the first minutes of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game against Iowa, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans cheer at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign, at the start of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Students wait in line to enter KAMS bar at the corner of First and Green streets on March 28, 2026, in Champaign, ahead of the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans watch television screens as a bartender prepares drinks druing the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game against Iowa, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)Fans celebrate an Illinois basket while watching the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight game between Illinois and Iowa, at Brothers Bar & Grill on March 28, 2026, in Champaign. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
