Illinois secured its first Final Four appearance since 2005 with a 71-59 win over Iowa in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Houston’s Toyota Center. The victory ends Iowa’s underdog run in the tournament.
The game was delayed for about 10 minutes due to a malfunction of the game buzzer. The horn sounded to signal the end of a media timeout with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. The horn continued to blare for approximately seven more minutes as players and officials waited on the court.
After the noise ceased to cheers from the crowd, the main scoreboard and video screen over the court went dark. The game resumed with the smaller scoreboards at each end of the arena functioning properly. The delay did not seem to impact Illinois, which maintained its lead throughout the game.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler led Illinois with 25 points, helping the team secure its sixth Final Four appearance, though the program has yet to win a national championship. Illinois will face either Duke or UConn next week in Indianapolis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter for updates.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
