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The Illinois Fighting Illini and Iowa Hawkeyes have been playing each other for more than a century. Same region. Same recruits. Same conference. It has always felt like these two programs were going to run into each other when it mattered most.
Now they finally have.
Saturday in Houston, with a Final Four on the line, this rivalry gets its biggest stage yet. Not just another Big Ten game. Not just another regular-season fight. This is everything.
It started in 1908 and never really stopped
The first game was played on February 14, 1908. Iowa won 46-36. It was simple back then. No hype. No buildup. Just basketball.
But once these teams started playing regularly, something stuck. The games kept coming. The crowds got louder. The stakes slowly grew.
They have now met 172 times. Illinois leads the series 95-77. This has never stayed one-sided for long.
MORE: Illinois looks to exorcise Elite Eight demons after statement win over Houston
The numbers behind the rivalry
Some rivalries feel big. This one has the numbers to back it up.
Total meetings: 172
Illinois leads all-time: 95-77
Current streak: Illinois has won 5 straight
Last 10 meetings: Illinois is 9-1
Average points per game in series: 67.1
Illinois home record: 67-17
Illinois road record at Iowa: 25-57
Conference games: Illinois leads 92-74
Neutral site games: tied 3-3
Overtime games: Illinois leads 6-3
Even the extremes tell a story:
Largest Illinois win: 118-85 in 1990
Largest Iowa win: 95-70 in 1975
Smallest margin: 78-77 Illinois win in 1993
Home court always mattered
This rivalry has always been different depending on where it is played.
Illinois has been dominant in Champaign. Iowa has been tough to beat in Iowa City. For years, it felt like the road team had to play its best just to have a chance.
That is why road wins in this series always feel bigger.
Streaks that shaped the rivalry
Every era has had its runs.
Iowa controlled things in the mid-1970s with six straight wins.
Illinois answered with seven straight wins from 2008 to 2012, the longest in series history.
Now we are in another Illinois run. Five straight wins and control of the last few seasons.
The last time Iowa won
The last time the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the Fighting Illini was February 4, 2023.
Iowa won that game 81-79 in Iowa City. It was tight, physical, and came down to the final minutes. Exactly what this rivalry usually looks like.
Since that night, Illinois has won every meeting.
From February 4, 2023 to March 28, 2026, it has been 1,148 days since Iowa last beat Illinois.
That is what makes this moment feel different.
When it got personal
This rivalry has never just been about basketball.
The recruiting battle for Midwest players has always been real. That tension exploded in the late 1980s during the Deon Thomas situation involving Bruce Pearl.
Years later, the edge is still there.
In 2020, a game in Iowa City ended with players and coaches yelling after a late dunk. No handshake line.
In 2023, Illinois’ Orange Krush had tickets pulled before a road game at Iowa. That added even more frustration.
This rivalry always finds a way to get heated.
The games have been tight
This is not a rivalry built on easy wins.
Multiple one-possession games
Nine overtime games all-time
Ranked matchups that usually come down to the final minutes
Even when one team is better, it rarely feels comfortable.
Illinois has the momentum right now
The latest stretch belongs to Illinois.
2026: Illinois 75, Iowa 69
2025 Big Ten Tournament: Illinois 106, Iowa 94
2025 regular season: Illinois 81, Iowa 61
2024: Illinois swept both meetings
Illinois has been tougher late and more consistent on both ends.
Now it comes down to this
This is the moment the rivalry has been building toward.
Elite 8. Houston. Saturday at 5:09 PM CT.
Illinois is trying to take the next step. The program has not been to a Final Four in years, and Brad Underwood is still chasing that moment.
Iowa is trying to flip everything in one night. End the streak. Change the feel of the rivalry.
That is what makes this different.
Not just history. Not just pride.
Everything.
After more than 100 years, it comes down to one game.
Illinois or Iowa.
Winner goes to the Final Four.
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