Houston fans need to know these three things before the Cougars face off against Illinois this Thursday inside the Toyota Center.
After recording back-to-back 31-point victories against Idaho and Texas A&M, the Cougars now return home to Houston to prepare for the Sweet 16, which will be played just 2.9 miles from the Fertitta Center.
The Fighting Illini are a 3-seed because they are a very talented squad, and there are three things Houston fans should know about Illinois.Illinois Fighting Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic celebrates March 21, 2026 during the second half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round game with Illinois Fighting Illini at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe star of Illinois’ team is freshman guard Keaton Wagler, who is a projected 2026 NBA lottery pick. He leads the team in averaging 17.8 points, 4.4 assists and one steal per game, and he is no doubt the most talented player on the team. Even Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson acknowledged Wagler’s ability in his weekly Zoom press conference on Monday. “The Wagler kid, I'm sure he is going to be a lottery pick,” Sampson said. “I was watching tape yesterday of his 46-point game at Purdue, he is awesome.”The Fighting Illini are a tough matchup because of their size and ability to rebound the ball. The main threats are junior centers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic, who both stand over 7 feet tall. The duo averages over 10 rebounds per game, and their size will give Houston a real test. Illinois also rolls out freshman forward David Mirkovic, who can hurts teams on both sides of the ball. While he averages 13.6 points per game, he also stands at 6-foot-9, and he hauls in just under eight rebounds a game. Houston has struggled with teams that can rebound well, so Thursday will be a real challenge for the Cougars. ”I think the most important thing that they do that separates them is offensive rebounding,” Sampson said. “We are a good offensive rebounding team, but Illinois is a better offensive rebounding team than we are.”If the first two categories weren't problematic enough, Illinois also has one of the top offenses in the entire country. The Fighting Illini rank No. 1 in offensive efficiency in the country, which will be a great test for Houston’s No. 2 ranked defense. Illinois averages 84.4 points per game, largely due to its offensive rebounding and three-point shooting. Wagler and Mirkovic are the main threats from behind the arc, but what makes Illinois unique is that nobody on the team is afraid to shoot the three. Illinois is a solid team in almost every facet of the game, making the Sweet 16 matchup against Houston a must watch.Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram or Twitter .
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