Big Ten Elite‑8 record
The Big Ten put three teams into the Elite Eight — Illinois, Iowa and Purdue — the conference's best Elite‑8 showing in tournament history. (usatoday.com) Purdue survived a 79‑77 thriller over No.11 Texas on a last‑second Trey Kaufman‑Renn tip‑in, Iowa knocked off last year's champ Florida, and Iowa will meet Illinois in Houston on Sunday, March 29 while Arizona draws Purdue. (nbcsports.com) (hawkcentral.com)
No conference has ever put four teams into an Elite Eight since the field expanded to 64; the all-time mark of four teams has been reached three times, making the Big Ten’s three-team showing this year one shy of the NCAA high-water mark. (usatoday.com) Trey Kaufman‑Renn played 36 minutes and finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds in Purdue’s Sweet 16 win, while teammates Fletcher Loyer (18) and Braden Smith (16) were also key contributors; the game drew 15,341 fans at the SAP Center in San Jose. (sports.yahoo.com) The Iowa upset of No. 1 Florida was a 73‑72 decision on March 22, with Iowa’s Tavion Banks among the scorers and Florida’s Alex Condon posting 21 points as the defending champions fell in the second round. (espn.com) Illinois advanced with a 65‑55 win over Houston on March 26, paced by David Mirkovic’s 14 points and 10 rebounds at the Toyota Center in Houston. (espn.com) The South‑region Elite Eight between Iowa and Illinois is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 at 5:09 p.m. CT at the Toyota Center and will air on TBS, while Purdue meets Arizona in the West on Saturday night — listed at 8:49 p.m. ET (5:49 p.m. PT) in San Jose — after Arizona’s 109‑88 Sweet 16 rout of Arkansas. (hawkeyeswire.usatoday.com)
