Recap: Iowa State basketball drops Sweet 16 matchup to Illinois in NCAA Tournament

The Iowa State basketball team had an opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, but Illinois played spoiler on Thursday night.

The Cyclones fell, 72-69, to the Fighting Illini in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The 2-seed Cyclones finish their season with a 29-9 record. The 3-seed Fighting Illini improve to 29-8, punching their ticket to the Elite Eight to face UConn on Saturday.

Re-live all of the updates, highlights and analysis from Iowa State's loss to Illinois in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

GAME STORY: Iowa State basketball falls to Illinois in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

FINAL: Illinois 72, Iowa State 69

Despite making it a one possession game in the final stages, Iowa State falls short to a tough Illinois team. Shannon converted two free throws to secure the win for Illinois.

It was difficult for Iowa State to defend Illinois’s top-tier offense down the stretch, and it proved too much.

H2/:09: Illinois 70, Iowa State 67- Cyclones need a final push

At the :23 mark, Milan Momcilovic attempted a pass but Shannon snatched the ball and slammed a dunk at the other end. It's a costly mistake by the Cyclones.

Curtis Jones was forced to the charity, converting three clutch free throws to make it a three-point game.

H2/:43.5: Illinois 67, Iowa State 64- Down to the wire

King knocks down a pair of free throws to cut Illinois’ lead. Terrence Shannon was forced to the charity stripe, knocking down his first attempt.

Curtis Jones converted a layup, making it a three-point game. Illinois calls a timeout as the game inches closer to the end.

H2/4:06: Illinois 62, Iowa State 56- Curtis Jones goes over 20 points, Illinois answers

Curtis Jones knocked down a 3-pointer to get to 21 points for the game.

But Illinois countered. Shannon—who checked back into the game—answered with his own shot from behind the arc. Following a layup by King, Illinois’ Luke Goode added to the Fighting Illini's total with a three-point make.

H2/ 6:05: Illinois 53, Iowa State 51- What a battle!

Ever since Gilbert’s scoring momentum builder, it has been a back-and-forth battle with only one field goal made since the 8:58 mark.

The Cyclones are on an 8-2 run with Terrence Shannon on the bench.

H2/9:46: Illinois 51, Iowa State 49- Cyclones inching closer

Illinois’ Terrence Shannon checked out of the game with his fourth foul. He sits at 20 points, five rebounds and one assist.

With Shannon out, Gilbert converted a pair of free throws. Following a Tre King layup, Gilbert made a smooth jumper to put him at 14 points. The Cyclones have found momentum with a 6-0 run.

H2/13:40: Illinois 48, Iowa State 38: Turnovers costly

Back-to-back turnovers have disrupted Iowa State’s offensive flow, and Illinois scored on both mistakes by the Cyclones.

Demarion Watson answered with a layup, but Illinois converted their own score to extend their lead. It’s been a seesaw battle for momentum in the first six minutes of the second half.

H2/17:40 Illinois 36, Iowa State 32: Keshon Gilbert is on fire

Iowa State started the second half with a bucket by Keshon Gilbert.

Following an Illinois miss, Gilbert secured a rebound and drove aggressively down the opposite end to score his second-straight basket.

On the next Iowa State possession, Gilbert converted a jumper to cut the deficit to four points.

HALFTIME: Illinois 36, Iowa State 26- Cyclones struggle, need a spark 

Illinois’ struggles from the charity stripe have kept Iowa State alive.

On the stat sheet, Illinois is 7-of-16 (43.8%) from the free throw line, which has helped the Cyclones keep it a 10-point deficit.

For Iowa State, they’re 9-of-31 (29%) from the field. Curtis Jones has carried Iowa State's offense, scoring 13 first-half points. Tamin Lipsey is the second-leading scorer with six points. Jones is the only Cyclone in double digits.

H1/ 3:41: Illinois 30, Iowa State 20- Cyclones are fighting

A two-point tip shot by Robert Jones and a 3-point bucket by Tamin Lipsey have cut the deficit a bit.

It was the first field goal for Jones and second for Lipsey. If they can both contribute on the offensive end, the Cyclones have a good chance of cutting their deficit.

H1/5:40: Illinois 26, Iowa State 13- Shooting struggles, defensive breakdowns hurt 

The Cyclones haven’t converted a field goal since the 9:12 mark of the first half. The scoring struggles, coupled with their bad defense, have made it difficult to keep up with Illinois.

H1/7:55: Illinois 21, Iowa State 12- Curtis Jones creates a spark for the Cyclones, Illinois quickly answers

A Curtis Jones jumper cut Iowa State’s deficit to seven points.

After missed free throws by Illinois, Jones forced contact and converted a three-point play to make it a four-point deficit.

Following that short spark, Illinois made a 3-pointer and dunk on the opposite end to extend their lead to nine. The Cyclones just can't seem to keep up.

H1/ 10:54: Illinois 16, Iowa State 6- Cyclones can’t find their shot

After Illinois’s Terrence Shannon drained his third 3-pointer of the game, the Cyclones turned the ball over.

Despite misses by Illinois on the next few possessions, the Cyclones were unable to put points on the board. A dunk by Illinois turned Iowa State's deficit into double digits. Iowa State is 2-of-7 (28.6%) from the field.

H1/15:52: Illinois 11, Iowa State 2- Iowa State can't make shots

A bucket by Curtis Jones broke the dry spell for the Cyclones, but Illinois is making them pay from behind the arc.

Iowa State is 1-for-4 from the field. Illinois is 4-for-6 with three 3-pointers.

11-2 advantage for Illinois.

H1/18:50: Illinois 3, Iowa State 0- Illinois gets on the board first

Keshon Gilbert got things started with a steal for Iowa State but the Cyclones couldn’t capitalize.

Illinois goes up 3-0 with an early 3-pointer.

9:15- Let’s play basketball!

Cyclones vs. Fighting Illini. You can feel the energy inside TD Garden as things have gotten rolling in this high-stakes matchup.

Not in Boston? No worries. Refresh this page for live updates.

9:00- Tipoff is nearly upon us

The battle between Iowa State and Illinois is drawing near, and only one team can continue their NCAA Tournament journey.

The winner will clinch a spot in the Elite Eight while the loser will end their season at the TD Garden in Boston. Tipoff is in about 15 minutes.

8:45- Iowa State or Illinois will meet UConn

UConn just defeated San Diego State, 82-52, to clinch their spot in the Elite Eight. The winner between Iowa State-Illinois will get to battle the top-seeded Huskies.

8:30- Cyclones eying a win

Iowa State has a tough battle on their hands against Illinois, but a win would clinch them a spot in the Elite Eight-- which would mark their first appearance since the 1999-00 season.

8:15- Boston is the place to be!

Check out some pictures of Iowa State fans who are in Boston to watch their 2-seed Cyclones take on the 3-seed Illinois Fighting Illini in the Sweet 16. The winner advances to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Tipoff is a little under an hour away.

Faces in the Crowd: Iowa State basketball fans gather in Boston for Sweet 16

What channel is Iowa State vs. Illinois on today? How to watch, stream live

• TV channel: TNT/truTV

• Stream: NCAA March Madness Live app | More: Watch Iowa State vs. Illinois in the Sweet 16 on SLING TV (subscribe today)

Iowa State will tip off vs. Illinois on TNT/truTV. Streaming options include the NCAA March Madness Live app and Sling TV. Announcers for the game are Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy and Andy Katz.

Iowa State vs Illinois start time, TV info, location

• Start time: approximately 9:15 p.m. CT, Thursday, March 28

• TV info: TNT/truTV

• Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

Iowa State vs. Illinois game preview

• Peterson: From here on out, Iowa State must play a strong 40 minutes for NCAA advancement

• Iowa State basketball reaches the Sweet 16 by leaning on well-traveled seniors

• Iowa State basketball reaches NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 with win over Washington State

• It's March, which means Iowa State basketball's T.J. Otzelberger can't stop coughing

• Iowa State basketball vs. Illinois in March Madness: Prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament

Iowa State vs Illinois odds, betting line, spread

Odds according to BetMGM

• Spread: Iowa State -1.5 (-110), Illinois +1.5 (-110)

• Over/under: 146.5 points

• Moneyline: Iowa State -125, Illinois +105

Iowa State vs Illinois prediction, game picks

Iowa State 75, Illinois 73: Illinois is on a roll--winning nine of its last 10 games and averaging 88.3 points per game in that span--but Iowa State's defense can make scoring difficult for opposing teams. The Cyclones have limited opponents to 65 points or less in their last 10 games. With an aggressive defense, Iowa State has the talent to slow down Illinois and clinch a spot in the NCAA Elite Eight.

Iowa State vs. Illinois prediction: March Madness, NCAA pick is in

Iowa State vs Illinois stats

Iowa State

• PPG: 75.6

• PPG allowed: 61.3

• FG%: 46.3%

• 3PT%: 34.9%

• KenPom ranking: No. 7

Illinois

• PPG: 84.4

• PPG allowed: 73.4

• FG%: 47.1%

• 3PT%: 35%

• KenPom ranking: No. 10

Iowa State vs Illinois championship odds

Odds according to BetMGM:

IOWA STATE: +2000

ILLINOIS: +3500

Iowa State basketball schedule 2023-24

The past five games of Iowa State's 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

Illinois basketball schedule 2023-24

The past five games of Illinois' 2023-24 basketball season. For the full schedule, click here

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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Recap: Iowa State basketball falls to Illinois in Sweet 16