BOSTON — The Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team defeated the Iowa State Cyclones 72-69 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at TD Garden.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 29 to lead the Illini (29-8), who are headed to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2005 when they finished as national runner-up. Curtis Jones scored 26 to lead the Cyclones (29-8), who fell short of their first March Madness regional final since 2000.
The Illini advance to face defending champion and No. 1 seed UConn (34-3) in an Elite Eight game scheduled for 5:09 pm CT Saturday. The winner goes to the Final Four next weekend in Glendale, Arizona.
SWEET 16: Highlights from Illinois vs. Iowa State NCAA Tournament game in Boston
Illinois basketball history: Illini in the Elite Eight
The Illinois men’s basketball team has nine previous appearances in the Elite Eight, four since the field expanded to 48 teams in 1980: 1984, 1989, 2001 and 2005.
Coach Brad Underwood is making his first trip to the Elite Eight in 11 seasons, including three at Stephen F. Austin and one at Oklahoma State.
Illinois scoring leader Terrence Shannon Jr.
Shannon is averaging 23.5 points per game overall this season, ranking him third among all NCAA Division-I players.
Yet the all-Big Ten first-team pick continues to impress even more this postseason.
He scored 102 points in the Illini’s three victories on the way to the conference tournament championship. Now, Shannon is climbing the Illini program’s NCAA Tournament record list. He has scored 85 in three NCAA Tournament victories, fourth all-time.
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Here is a look at the top five point totals for an Illinois basketball player in a single NCAA Tournament:
- 102 points — Nick Anderson, 1989 (5 games)
- 100 points — Luther Head, 2005 (6 games)
- 88 points — Deron Williams, 2005 (6 games)
- 85 points — Terrence Shannon Jr., 2014 (through 3 games)
- 84 points — Kenny Battle, 1989 (5 games)
