HOUSTON, TX (Chambana Today) — The Illinois Fighting Illini are one win away from the Final Four after a 65-55 Sweet 16 victory over No. 2-seeded Houston on Thursday night at the Toyota Center. With the win, Illinois improves to 27-8, tied for the fourth-most wins in program history, and picks up its third victory over a top-five opponent this season, tying a program record set in 1951-52. Earlier wins came at No. 4 Purdue and at No. 5 Nebraska.
The Illini’s defense dominated, holding Houston to 34 percent shooting, limiting them to only two free throw attempts, and outrebounding the Cougars 43-34. Illinois broke the game open with a 17-0 second-half run spanning nearly seven minutes, the longest scoring run allowed by Houston in eight seasons.
Freshmen Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic each posted double-doubles, with Wagler scoring 13 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and adding two blocks, while Mirkovic recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds. They became the first pair of freshman teammates in Illinois history to record double-doubles in the same NCAA tournament game since freshmen became fully eligible in 1972-73. Andrej Stojakovic added 13 points off the bench.
Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois has reached the Elite Eight twice in three seasons, joining Lou Henson as the only Illini coaches since 1975 to reach multiple Elite Eights. Underwood also became the first head coach in program history to win 27 or more games in multiple seasons, improving his NCAA Tournament record at Illinois to 9-5.
Illinois will face Big Ten rival Iowa on Saturday at 5:09 p.m. in the South Regional Final, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.