Saturday night’s Elite Eight contest between Iowa and Illinois was briefly delayed due to an unusual issue.
A horn inside the Toyota Center in Houston malfunctioned with 7:43 remaining in the first half. The horn started blaring as the teams prepared to return following a timeout and never shut off.
The game was delayed while arena crews worked to stop the horn, but the delay lasted several minutes.
Sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi said the arena crew unplugged the horn, but it continued to make noise even after that adjustment was made. Here’s a clip from the arena:
After several minute delay, the horn stopped, allowing teams to have a brief warm-up period before play resumed. All told, the game was stopped for 11 minutes.
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The horn interrupted what was a very exciting first half between the Hawkeyes and Illini. At the time of the delay, Iowa led Illinois 22-20. Both teams were shooting over 50% from the floor.
Illinois and Iowa met one time during Big Ten play this season, with the Fighting Illini coming away with a big road win. This game, however, is for a spot in the Final Four. Iowa hasn’t reached the Final Four since 1980. Illinois hasn’t reached the Final Four since 2005.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
