Illinois knocks off No. 2 Houston, heading to Elite Eight

· Yahoo Sports

HOUSTON – Facing KenPom’s No. 4-ranked defense, one that only gives up 62 points-per-game, Illinois simply had to want it more to come out victorious in an arena filled with Cougar red.

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It was clear that they did indeed want it more. The Illini walked into Houston and fought for a 65-55 win in a physical, defensive battle. 

And beyond advancing to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years,  the win was an act of revenge after Illinois’ 68-53 second-round loss to the Cougars back in 2022.

No. 3 seed Illinois entered Thursday night’s matchup against No. 2 seed Houston carrying a load of momentum after dominant wins over Penn and VCU in the first two rounds of March Madness. 

That momentum arrived at the perfect time, helping this Illinois squad get levelheaded with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. And knowing that they’d face off against a Big Ten opponent with a win on Thursday, a Final Four appearance became increasingly realistic. 

Thursday night’s Sweet 16 brawl between the Fighting Illini and the Cougars took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, giving Illinois an even tougher test against Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson’s tenacious, physical style of basketball. 

But for most of the season, when this Illini roster played the “villain” on the road, things went to plan. Illinois won eight road games in the Big Ten regular season, and only lost two. 

The disadvantage didn’t faze the Illini one bit. Instead, it fueled them. Illinois knew they would have to play nasty against a team that prides itself on the same type of gritty play. 

Matching Houston’s tenacity itself may not have been enough. The Illini knew they weren’t going to be able to feed off second-chance buckets as consistently, so they had to shoot the ball well. They had to live up to the expectations of a No. 2-ranked KenPom offense. 

It took a little time for both teams to heat up, with just two points being scored in the game through four minutes. In fact, the 24-22 score at halftime was the lowest in a tournament game this season.

Houston shot just 27.3% from the field in the first half, but its defensive presence was on display right off the bat, forcing five Illinois turnovers in the first half. 

But the Illini didn’t shy away from attacking the hoop when Houston made it tough on the perimeter. Instead, they utilized their size for easy layups when there were no good looks from three. Andrej Stojakovic came off the bench and made an impact immediately, driving to the rim with a head full of steam. 

The Illini’s freshman phenom, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Keaton Wagler, picked up his scoring after a quiet first half and sparked a 17-0 Illinois run out of the tunnel that sucked the life out of the Toyota Center crowd. After Wagler knocked down his signature cross-over step-back three, Illinois’ offense put its foot on the gas with triples from Jake Davis, David Mirkovic and Ben Humrichous. 

And with five minutes to go, following two Houston three-pointers to cut Illinois’ lead to nine, two more triples from Tomislav Ivisic and Keaton Wagler and yet another Stojakovic layup helped the Illini reclaim their comfortable lead.

In the second-round win over VCU, Illinois showcased a dominant defensive performance fans hadn’t seen in a while. But up against freshman All-American guard Kingston Flemings, the Illini defense needed to replicate that performance and then some. 

While this defense is typically comfortable conceding long twos, Flemings’ efficiency from the mid-range was a threat that couldn’t go unnoticed. Veteran guard Kylan Boswell did his best to slow down the phenom, staying attached to Flemings for the majority of the game. And by taking away his favorite look, Illinois prevented Houston’s offense from thriving off its guard play. Flemings was held to just 11 points.

Illinois’ main goal on defense was to keep the Cougars out of the paint, and stop them from getting second-chance possessions. If the Illini could take care of that threat, Houston would become a much easier opponent to beat. 

Illinois’ won the rebound battle 43-34 and stayed defensively sound against one of the most physical teams in all of college hoops, and in return were gifted with a sweet victory. 

Even though some open looks weren’t falling, the intensity that was maintained on all sides of the court for 40 minutes straight helped Illinois prove that they can take down the best of the best when the stakes are at their highest. 

Stat Stuffers

  • Keaton Wagler: 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists
  • David Mirkovic: 14 points, 1o rebounds
  • Andrej Stojakovic: 13 points, 5-8 FG
  • Tomislav Ivisic: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

The Illini move one step closer to their first Final Four since 2005. The next step requires taking down a familiar face in No. 9 seed Iowa on Saturday. Fresh off a Sweet 16 upset over No. 4 seed Nebraska, the Hawkeyes will look to deliver yet another upset over an Illinois team that already walked into Iowa City and handed them a 75-69 defeat on Jan. 11. 



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