Recap: March Madness, Elite Eight, Day 1 | Arizona, Illinois clinch Final Four

Illinois celebrates advancing to the Final Four.

What we know about Saturday’s Elite Eight games:

No. 3 Illinois beat No. 9 Iowa 71-59 in the South regional final

No. 1 Arizona defeated No. 2 Purdue 79-64 in the West regional final

Today’s winners booked a spot in the Final Four in Indianapolis

Check out

our recaps of every NCAA Tournament game here

.

MARCH 28, 2026 / 11:28 ET

The second team in the Final Four

Koa Peat scored 20 points and the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats shrugged off a lethargic first half

to beat Purdue

and book a ticket in the Final Four.

MARCH 28, 2026 / 11:14 ET

A tip of the Cats

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd salutes the Wildcat fanbase

"YOU GUYS DESERVE THIS" 🗣️

Tommy Lloyd couldn't be happier for the Arizona faithful 🥹

#MarchMadness

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— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)

March 29, 2026

MARCH 28, 2026 / 11:10 ET

Get hyped, Tucson

WE’RE NOT DONE YET

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— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB)

MARCH 28, 2026 / 11:06 ET

Final force

The top-seeded Arizona Wildcats are headed to the Final Four.

(1) ARIZONA CRUISES TO THE FINAL FOUR 🔥

The Wildcats roll past (2) Purdue 79-64 to move on to Indy 😸

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 10:45 ET

Cat scratch fever

The Wildcats are beginning to assert themselves down the stretch.

Peat will not be denied 😤

We're heading down the stretch in a tight one:

https://t.co/73IDsYprmk

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 10:33 ET

Raising Arizona

Anthony Dell’Orso nailed a huge 3 and the Wildcats are rolling.

BIG THREE FOR THE CATS ‼️

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 10:07 ET

Knotted up

Arizona went on a 7-0 run early in the second half to tie the game at 42-42.

Jaden Bradley gives Zona a 7-0 and gets HYPE 🗣️

@ArizonaMBB

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Bear down

Arizona is looking to find another gear in the second half.

Work to be done. Plenty of time left.

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 9:50 ET

Boilermakers brewing upset?

Braden Smith has 11 points and Purdue is shooting 7-for-14 on 3s en route to a surprising 38-31 halftime lead over top seed Arizona.

The Boilermakers go into the half up 7 over Arizona 👀

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 9:32 ET

Purdue pulls ahead

Gicarri Harris gives the Boilermakers a 23-21 lead over Arizona.

Harris cashes in from the corner 💰

@BoilerBall

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 9:16 ET

Arizona and Purdue are underway

Oscar Cluff finishes with the left 😮‍💨

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 9:08 ET

It lived up to expectations

Illinois only hit three shots from 3-point land Saturday but

took control down the stretch

to end Iowa’s Cinderella run through the tournament.

MARCH 28, 2026 / 8:42 ET

Cutting down the nets

"This group is special… Couldn't be more proud." 🥹

Brad Underwood is overcome with joy after

@IlliniMBB

's win to advance to the

#MFinalFour

🗣️

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 8:39 ET

Illini heading on the trip of a lifetime

ARE YOU WITH US?

For the first time since 2005, we're heading to the FINAL FOUR.

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— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB)

MARCH 28, 2026 / 8:30 ET

The first of the Final Four

Keaton Wagler scores 25 points and Illinois advances to the Final Four with a 71-59 victory over a tough Iowa squad.

(3) ILLINOIS IS INDY BOUND 🤩

The Illini defeat (9) Iowa 71-59 to book the first spot in the

👏

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 8:13 ET

Breaking away

Illinois takes control of the game with an 8-0 run.

The lead extends ‼️

Watch the first

spot get booked NOW:

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 8:02 ET

Back and forth

Bennett Stirtz puts Iowa ahead 49-48.

And now it's

@IowaHoops

back out front 🤯

This game is CRAZY:

pic.twitter.com/oYOhxPncGT

March 28, 2026

MARCH 28, 2026 / 7:55 ET

Illinois keeps fighting

Keaton Wagler gives the Illini a lead.

Wagler puts

back out front 😮‍💨

pic.twitter.com/64kqcQ5x7d

MARCH 28, 2026 / 7:45 ET

It’s about as tight as can be

Tavion Banks nails a 3 with time winding down to push Iowa ahead 35-33.

Buries it with time running out ⌛️

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 7:11 ET

Iowa leads Illinois 32-28 at halftime.

Bennett Stirtz has 15 points for the Hawkeyes.

BRB

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— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops)

MARCH 28, 2026 / 6:42 ET

Keeping it close

Keaton Wagler splashes from 3 to make it a 20-18 game.

Mirkovic pulls Keaton Wagler's defender away off the screen for the open three 👌

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MARCH 28, 2026 / 6:34 ET

Watch the footwork

Iowa sharpshooter Bennett Stirtz is doing his best to push forward to the Final Four.

Stirtz hits a wild triple 🤯

pic.twitter.com/GVPWTKmU2a

MARCH 28, 2026 / 5:30 ET

Welcome to Day 1 of the Elite Eight!

Coming to you live from the Toyota Center in Houston and the SAP Center in San Jose, it’s night one of the Elite Eight, as the 2026 Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament rolls on towards the Final Four.

Here’s the complete schedule:

No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 3 Illinois, 6:09 p.m. ET (TBS / TruTV)

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 1 Arizona, 8:49 ET (TBS / TruTV)