The March Madness 2026 Elite Eight is kicking off with an all-Big Ten matchup between No. 9 Iowa and No. 3 Illinois.
Illinois punched its ticket with a composed 65–55 win over Houston, controlling the game from the start and leaning on timely scoring and defense to knock out one of the tournament’s toughest teams.
In the Sweet 16, the Hawkeyes rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat Nebraska 77–71, flipping the game in the second half, marking another chapter in a March run that’s quickly turned them into the tournament’s surprise story.
Iowa and Illinois already faced off once this season, where the Fighting Illini defeated the Hawkeyes 75-69. In their last 11 meetings, Illinois has won 10 and remain the favorite tonight.
Iowa vs. Illinois: what to know
- When: March 28, 6:09 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center (Houston, Texas)
- Channel: TBS/truTV
- Streaming: Sling TV (1-Day Pass)
The winner of tonight’s game will advance to the Final Four and play either No. 6 Tennessee or No. 1 Michigan.
Iowa vs. Illinois start time
Tonight’s (March 28) Iowa vs. Illinois game is scheduled to tip off at 6:09 p.m. ET.
How to watch Iowa vs. Illinois live
You’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Iowa vs. Illinois game for free if you don’t have cable.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription and just want to tune into today’s game, you can try a Sling TV Orange 1-Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including TBS. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
DIRECTV is another great option for streaming live sports; the Choice plan is our favorite and comes with a five day free trial.
NCAA Tournament 2026 key dates
- Elite 8: March 28-29
- Final 4: April 4
- National Championship: April 6
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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