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Illinois mayor issues emergency order restricting alcohol sales ahead of Illini’s Elite Eight game
By David Wasson
Published:
The Illinois faithful in Champaign need to start planning for their team’s Elite Eight run – at least as far as alcohol consumption is concerned.
WCIA 3’s Peter Hanson reported Friday that the City of Champaign and mayor Deborah Frank Feinen enacted an emergency order placing restrictions on the serving of alcohol Saturday in response to Illinois playing Iowa in the Elite Eight (6:09 pm ET, TBS/TruTV).
The City of Champaign is enacting an emergency order restricting the sale of alcohol on the U of I’s campus ahead of tomorrow’s Elite Eight matchup against Iowa.
— Peter Hanson (@_peterhanson) March 27, 2026
The mayor says it’s, “…to reduce the possibility of public safety hazards…”
Hear about it tonight at 5 on WCIA 3. pic.twitter.com/cNvdJnyI18
Hanson’s report included that Feinen’s emergency order will be able to stay open but cannot serve beverages in glass containers. The emergency order will also shutter package stores at 6 pm CT, an hour after the third-seeded Fighting Illini take on the ninth-seeded Hawkeyes in the South Region championship game in Houston.
Big Ten compatriots, Illinois (27-8) and Iowa (24-12) will be playing for the second time in the 2025-26 season. The Fighting Illini prevailed 75-69 on Jan. 11, as Keaton Wagler scored 19 points for Illinois and Tavion Banks scored 16 points for Iowa.
Illinois – which lost in last season’s Elite Eight – is vying for its sixth Final Four appearance and first since winning the national championship in 2005. The Hawkeyes are trying to earn their fourth Final Four spot and first since 1980.
Will Illinois move on to the Final Four? Predict the winner of Saturday’s showdown on Kalshi!
An APSE national award-winning writer and page designer, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.