Illini come home to cheers after winning Final Four berth

The road to the Final Four is now set, and the Fighting Illini won't have to travel too far, as a trip to Indianapolis is only about two hours away from campus.

Illinois beat Iowa 71-59 on Saturday and earned a trip to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

A close-knit Illinois squad was making memories this past weekend, as they achieved things that have not happened for the program in over two decades.

On Sunday afternoon, the Illini arrived home from Houston to a huge crowd at Willard Airport in Champaign, with cowboy hats and their South Regional Championship trophy in hand.

The team soaked in the milestone win with their fans on Monday. But Coach Brad Underwood's squad hopes to bring back some more hardware from Indianapolis, as they try to win a national championship for the first time ever.

"Being somebody who grew up as a fan as a kid who watched this program, and now representing the orange and blue, bringing home a chance to get to the national championship means everything," said Illinois senior guard Kylan Boswell.

The Illini will face East Regional winner UConn on Saturday. The game will be the first of night is at 5:09 p.m. Saturday on TBS, followed by two remaining one-seeds — Michigan and Arizona — who won the Midwest and West regionals.