[LIVESTREAM TV] Illinois vs Iowa State live Streams Free online TV Broadcast 28 March 2024
What channel is Illinois vs. Iowa State game on today? | FREE live stream, time, TV, channel for March Madness, Sweet 16. The Illinois Fighting Illini face the Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
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No. 2-seeded Iowa State is riding a five-game winning streak, and the Cyclones will face one of their toughest tests against third-seeded Illinois in the East Region semifinals of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Boston on Thursday.
The Cyclones have not played Illini since 2018 in the Maui Invitational. Illinois has won nine of the last 12 meetings but lost the last two — in Maui and in 2015.
Iowa State earned its seventh Sweet 16 appearance in school history with a 67-56 victory over No. 7 Washington State in the second round. Tamin Lipsey finished with 15 points, while Curtis Jones scored 14 for Iowa State, which advanced to second weekend for the second time in three years.
Milan Momcilovic is now number two all-time amongst Iowa State freshman for most three-pointers in a season (61). Illinois advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005 with an 89-63 victory over Duquesne on Saturday night. Terrence Shannon Jr. finished with 30 points, while Marcus Domask scored 22 for the Illini, who hadn't made it through the first weekend of the tournament in eight previous appearances. Shannon's 30-point performance was the third ever for Illinois in NCAA Tournament history.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament
Who: Illinois vs. Iowa State
When: March 28, 2024
Where: TD Garden
Time: 10:09 p.m.
TV: TBS
Brad Underwood smirked and almost imperceptibly shook his head when the question was asked: What would it mean for Illinois to finally make it back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly two decades?
“If we’re fortunate,” the coach said after a long pause, “ask me then. I’ll tell you that then. Not getting too far ahead.”
Perhaps because Underwood knows the third-seeded Fighting Illini first must face perhaps the hottest team in the tournament on Saturday night in No. 11 seed Duquesne, which has won nine straight for retiring coach Keith Dambrot after dispatching BYU in the first round.
Perhaps because the Fighting Illini have served up so many letdowns over the years.
They were seeded fifth in 2009, when they were dumped by No. 12 seed Western Kentucky. They were one of the No. 1 seeds in the pandemic bubble in 2021, when they lost in the second round to eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago. And the fourth seed the following year, when they fell to No. 5 seed Houston in a game in which they never got going.
Before the 47 years the Dukes spent trying in vain to return to the NCAA Tournament, they were one of the most progressive programs in the college game, riding early integration to extraordinary success in the 1940s and ‘50s. Now, with a victory over Illinois, they would be headed back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1969 — a drought that makes the Fighting Illini’s look like a blink.
In the other semifinal at CHI Health Center, No. 2 seed Iowa State will be trying to continue a dominant postseason that included a romp past then-No. 1 Houston in the Big 12 Tournament finals. The Cyclones will be facing seventh-seeded Washington State, which was a national runner-up way back in 1941, returned to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and hasn’t been back since.
LeBron James, who was coached in high school by Dambrot at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Ohio, has been closely following the Dukes, gifting the entire team new shoes before the tournament and then shouting about their win over BYU on social media Thursday night.
The get-in price for Saturday night was about $150 on Friday afternoon, which probably wasn’t a bad deal if the alternative was standing outside; the wind chill was in the 20s when teams arrived to practice. The ticket prices were likely driven up by Iowa State fans, who are known for zealously following their team to the Big 12 Tournament and elsewhere.
One of the emotional sparkplugs for Illinois is assistant coach Chester Frazier, a two-time team captain during his playing days. In fact, Frazier has been known to step on the court and show he can still ball, and rumors are there is video evidence that shows the 37-year-old point guard dunking on some of his guys in practice.
The Cyclones are trying to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years, yet they nevertheless keep a chip on their shoulder. That was evident Friday, when forward Tre King was ruminating about the fact that pundits picked them to finish seventh in the Big 12.
The Cyclones (29-7, 13-5 Big 12) eliminated the No. 7 Washington State Cougars in the second round, 67-56, to reach their second Sweet 16 in the past three seasons under head coach T.J. Otzelberger. Illinois demolished No. 11 Duquesne 89-63 thanks to a 30-point effort from Terrence Shannon Jr.
These teams have squared off a fair number of times over the years, with Illinois winning 11 of those 14 meetings, but the last time they clashed was in 2018, when Iowa State won 84-68. Thursday’s winner will meet the winner of UConn vs. San Diego State in the Elite Eight.
On the flip side, Iowa State (29-7 overall, 13-5 in Big 12 play) enters the East Region semifinals as one of the hottest remaining teams in the tournament, winning eight of their last nine including a win over Houston in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.