The third-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini eliminated the second-seeded Houston Cougars 65-55 on Thursday night. The South Region semifinal victory pushes Illinois into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Houston fell short of a return to the national championship game. The Cougars played just two miles from their home campus at the Toyota Center. It did not matter.
The Illini defense crushed them. Houston shot a dismal 34 percent from the floor. They posted their lowest point total of the entire season. Illinois took control early in the second half. They ripped off a massive 17-0 run. Houston went seven straight minutes without scoring a single point.
17-0 RUN BY ILLINOIS 🔥
HOUSTON IS IN TROUBLE
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David Mirkovic led the charge for Illinois. He recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Keaton Wagler added 13 points and 12 rebounds. The coaching staff explicitly directed the guards to crash the glass. The physical strategy worked. Andrej Stojakovic also scored 13 points in the win.
Houston struggled to find any offensive rhythm. Star freshman and projected NBA lottery pick Kingston Flemings managed just 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Milos Uzan hit only 2 of his 11 shot attempts. The loss ends a seven-year streak of Sweet 16 appearances for the Cougars without a national title.
This is a massive moment for collegiate sports in Champaign. Illinois now has 11 Elite Eight appearances in program history. Head coach Brad Underwood took them there twice in the last three seasons. They play ninth-seeded Iowa on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four.