With the Sweet 16 win over Nebraska less than 24 hours old, the Iowa Hawkeyes must quickly turn the page and focus on the Elite 8 matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini, another Big Ten foe.
As this magical March Madness run continues for Iowa, the magnitude of the games keeps rising, and this one is huge. A trip to the Final Four is on the line, and ESPN diagnosed how the Hawkeyes can punch a ticket to Indianapolis.
Iowa’s Elite Eight opponent: Illinois (6:09 p.m. ET on Sunday)
How the Hawkeyes can advance to the Final Four: Iowa’s biggest strength in the NCAA tournament has been its ability to control the tempo. The Hawkeyes’ first-round game against Clemson featured 54 possessions — the slowest game either team played all season. Their second-round win over Florida saw the fewest possessions the Gators have had all season. And their Sweet 16 win over Nebraska was the slowest game the Cornhuskers have played all season. Can Iowa do the same to Illinois? The first meeting between the two Big Ten teams was closer to the Illini’s preferred pace, although the Hawkeyes falling behind early and not being built for comebacks was the bigger factor.
Two more keys for Iowa: Stirtz has to win the point guard battle against Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, and the Hawkeyes have to keep Illinois — the Big Ten’s best offensive rebounding team — from dominating second-chance opportunities. — Borzello
Iowa has to once again find a way to play big on the boards. They will be undersized and going against an Illinois team that crashes the boards hard. The Hawkeyes have to mitigate second-chance opportunities as much as possible, limit possessions, limit turnovers, and, as they have done against Florida and Nebraska, strike at the right moment.
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Tipoff for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini for a spot in the Final Four is set for 5:09 p.m. CT and will be airing on TBS.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : ESPN diagnoses how Iowa basketball beats Illinois, makes Final Four
