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After a testy first half which ended in a 41-41 tie, the Iowa Hawkeyes let the Illinois Fighting Illini stretch the second half to 16 points before a furious second half comeback led to a last second chance for a tie.
You didn't expect anything less from the B1G finale, did you?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 9, 2020
No. 23 @IlliniMBB holds off No. 18 Iowa to clinch the final B1G tourney double-bye. pic.twitter.com/rC7sah7cxS
Illinois 78, Iowa 76
The B1G tourney field is set. pic.twitter.com/pV0b4p0nxl
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 9, 2020
That means that Iowa gets the five seed and Illinois is set with the four seed. They’ll face the winner of the game between the 12-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers and the 13-seeded Northwestern Wildcats. Both teams ended the season on a win: Minnesota over Nebraska and Northwestern over Penn State.
The path sets up about as nice as it could for Iowa, with a third crack at Illinois on Friday if they get a win and a semifinal bout against the 1-seed, Wisconsin.
If there’s a negative, it’s that you’ll have to cut out time during your workday to check it out. Both Thursday and Friday games begin at approximately 1:30p and will be on Big Ten Network.