Illinois does unthinkable in Sweet 16 KO over Houston, sets rare Big Ten history
Illinois-Houston got out of hand quickly thanks to a 17-0 Fighting Illini run. It'll be an all-Big Ten showdown Saturday night in Texas in the Elite Eight.
Illinois does unthinkable in Sweet 16 KO over Houston, sets rare Big Ten history originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Sweet 16 got Thursday evening underway, as one of the two late-night games saw the Illinois Fighting Illini visit Houston, Texas, to take on the Houston Cougars , with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.
The Illini (27-9) pulled off the unexpected with a 65-55 win against the Cougars (30-7) in a game spearheaded by a 17-0 second-half run after clinging to a 24-22 halftime lead. The victory marks the Illini's second Elite Eight berth in three seasons under coach Brad Underwood , as they defeated Iowa State in 2024 before falling one game short of a Final Four trip to the eventual national champion, UConn. Illinois was led by double-double outings from the duo of forward David Mirkovic (14 points, 10 rebounds) and guard Keaton Wagler (13 points, 12 rebounds) as the lead eventually grew to as many as 18 points.
MORE: March Madness announcers by game Underwood, whose team was 4-5 in its last nine games entering the NCAA Tournament, now finds itself one win away from a Final Four berth for the first time in 21 seasons. Illinois will have to beat the Iowa Hawkeyes (24-12) to do so, however, as the Hawkeyes eliminated the Nebraska Cornhuskers (28-7) 77-71 earlier in the evening. Tip is set for 6:09 p.
m. ET Saturday night at Toyota Center, the second meeting this season between the two long-time rivals. In a tweet from Big Ten Network , it marks the first time since 2014 that at least three Big Ten teams clinched a spot in the Elite Eight.