Oh so Sweet

Good morning! The Big Ten’s in great shape to get multiple teams in the Final Four. I’m sure you had that on your bracket.

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1. Iowa, Illinois headed for Big Ten showdown in South

Apparently Houston is Big Ten country.

Iowa and Illinois are headed for an Elite Eight showdown on Saturday in the South Regional final. But there’s a decidedly different vibe for each team.

Iowa’s 77-71 win over 4-seed Nebraska was markedly different from how the Hawkeyes beat reigning champ Florida last week. The Cornhuskers led by 10 points after 15 minutes and were hot from outside. But Iowa (24-12) made a late run just before the half, then slowed things down in the second half as both offenses cooled off. Nebraska (28-7) was particularly cold as it was just 9-of-32 from the field in the second half.

That set up the key moment of the game.

Nebraska trailed 71-68 after making a 3-pointer. But after calling timeout, Nebraska only had four men on the floor, which set up a game-sealing dunk from Alvaro Folguerias.

He finished with 16 points, while Bennett Stirtz led Iowa with 20 points (in all 40 minutes, again) and Tate Sage had 19.

It was a brutal end to Nebraska’s historic season. Payton Sandfort finished with a game-high 25 points, while Braden Frager had 16. Coach Fred Hoiberg took the blame for the four-man situation, but also wasn’t sure if the officials should’ve counted the number of players on the floor.

"I've never been in a situation like that. I know they always count to make sure there's not six," Hoiberg said. "I don't know the rule on that with four. But yeah, again, it was a miscommunication, and unfortunately, it happened. But as far as the rule, I've never been a part of anything like that."

Meanwhile, Illinois dominated the South Region’s late game, beating 2-seed Houston 65-55. The Illini (27-8) were held to their second-lowest point total of the season, but that was a reflection of game’s defensive tone. Houston (30-7) was held to its fewest points this season, had just 26 points in the first 28 minutes and trailed by as many as 18 points.

David Mirkovic (14 points and 10 rebounds) and Keaton Wagler (13 points and 12 rebounds) finished with double-doubles for Illinois.

Freshmen Kingston Flemings and Chris Cenac Jr. combined to produce 17 points on 7-of-22 attempts in what could be their collegiate games. Flemings seems like a lottery lock, while Cenac will make a decision about a return.

Illinois and Iowa only played once this season, with the Illini winning 75-69 at Iowa.

2. Top two seeds headed for West Regional battle

Was the game of the night the first one that tipped off? It certainly had the most exciting finish.

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