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For the first time in more than two decades, the Illinois men’s basketball team will still dance at the start of the Final Four.
Underdog Iowa’s run through the NCAA tournament ended Saturday with a 71-59 loss to a dominant Illinois team. Before Illinois could cut down the nets at the Toyota Center in Houston, a buzzer malfunction caused a noisy delay of about 10 minutes.
The buzzer first sounded to signal the end of a media timeout with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. The horn continued to sound for approximately seven minutes.
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A referee speaks with the score table during an official’s timeout due to a broken shot clock horn during the first half of an Elite Eight game between Iowa and Illinois in the NCAA tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The players remained on the court, ready to play for a few minutes before both teams began warming up as the buzzer continued to sound.
He was eventually silenced, to cheers from the crowd, but the main scoreboard and video screen hanging in midfield then went dark.
Play eventually resumed with the big scoreboard still off. Two small scoreboards at each end of the arena were in operation.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 25 points to help secure Illinois’ first Final Four berth since 2005.
Keaton Wagler (23) of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles against Isaia Howard (23) of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at the Toyota Center on March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illini will face Duke or UConn next week in Indianapolis.
