How Illinois exorcised demons in thrilling Sweet Sixteen win
They did it.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 26: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts against the Houston Cougars during the second half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Toyota Center on March 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) | Getty Images HOUSTON — A herd of orange lingered on the court as an empty Toyota Center sat ablaze with a buzz. Behind the crowd, Kylan Boswell bit his jersey, full of unbridled joy, Illinois had knocked out Houston 65-55 to advance to the Elite Eight.
But this moment, this milestone, this achievement, was never a guarantee. As good as Illinois looked in its first two tests in the NCAA Tournament, as dominant as the team was and as encouraged as Illini fans felt, droplets of doubt leaked into the coolest of heads in the Illini fanbase. It’s a what have you done for me lately kind of league.
And Illinois had failed to prove itself against Top-30 teams in the last month-and-a-half, losing its last five Quad I games. Typically, a thrilling 17-0 run in the second-half would be enough to push Illinois over the edge… but even then, it would be hard to shake how Illinois very recently lost big-time games with sizable leads. Illinois lost four of its last five Quad I games thanks to overtime collapses.
Even with 10 minutes left in the second half, with Houston scoring hardly any points in the first ten minutes of the second half, it was time for Illinois to prove that it could exorcise its second-half demons. The difference was that it was somewhat surprising that UCLA and Wisconsin in the regular season were as pesky as they turned out to be. There was never a shadow of a doubt that Houston would fight until the very end of the line.