Buzzer malfunction sparks delay in Illinois-Iowa Elite Eight matchup
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
For the first time in more than two decades, the Illinois men’s basketball team will still be dancing when the Final Four begins.
Iowa’s slim streak in the NCAA Tournament ended with a 71-59 loss to a dominant Illinois team on Saturday. Before Illinois shut down the networks at Houston’s Toyota Center, a buzzer malfunction caused a loud delay of about 10 minutes.
Initially, the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the media timeout, with less than eight minutes left in the first half. The horn continued to sound for approximately seven more minutes.
CLICK HERE TO GET MORE SPORTS NEWS ON FOXNEWS.COM
A referee speaks to the scorer’s table during a referee’s timeout due to a broken shot clock horn during the first half of the Elite Eight game between Iowa and Illinois in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Players stood on the field ready to play for a few minutes before both teams began warming up as the buzzer continued to ring.
It was eventually silenced as the crowd cheered, but then the main scoreboard and video screen hanging in the middle of the field went dark.
The game ultimately continued with the major scoreboard down. Two small scoreboards at each end of the arena were in operation.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 25 points to help Illinois reach the Final Four for the first time since 2005.
Keaton Wagler (23) of the Illinois Fighting Illini dribbles against Isaia Howard (23) of the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the 2026 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight contest at the Toyota Center on March 28, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
CLICK TO REACH THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
This will be the sixth overall trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national championship. The Fighting Illini will face Duke or UConn next week in Indianapolis.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital Sports streaming on Xand subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
