Iowa’s Cinderella run ends in bittersweet Elite 8 disappointment

The No. 9-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes were the lowest remaining seed in the NCAA Tournament heading into the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, the program’s Cinderella story came to an end on Saturday after suffering a 71-59 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini.

It was a close game throughout, as Iowa actually had the lead at half. However, Illinois was too much to handle in the final five or six minutes, as Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood got his guys to seperate away from the Hawkeyes. It’s the first time since 2005 that Illinois is heading to the Final Four, according to Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports.

“Illinois is headed to the Final Four for the first time since 2005,” said Auerbach. “Two incredibly impressive performances in Houston & a well-deserved trip to Indy for Brad Underwood and co.”

As for Iowa, it’s a bittersweet moment for the Hawkeyes. The trip to the Elite Eight was the program’s first since 1987. Even the Sweet 16 appearance was a first for the team in over 25 years. It was seemingly an amazing run, and the guys on the roster don’t have anything to feel ashamed about.

First-year head coach Ben McCollum led Iowa to what turned out to be a successful campaign. The Hawkeyes would be wise to find a way to keep McCollum with the program, as he appears to be a rising coach in the college basketball world.

Before accepting the Iowa job, Ben McCollum served as the head coach of the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. He led that program to four NCAA Division II national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022). McCollum left Northwest Missouri State for the Drake Bulldogs in 2024, before being hired by the Hawkeyes in 2025.

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