Underwood and a trio of Illini players spoke about the Houston game and previewed Saturday's Elite Eight matchup against Iowa
– recapped the victory over the Cougars while offering their thoughts on the Iowa game. Here are some key quotes from Boswell, Wagler and Underwood:Mar 25, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell speaks during a practice session press conference ahead of the south regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center.
Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images “We’ve had a couple games throughout the season where we’ve gotten up early and let teams come back," Boswell said on Friday. "I think having those games under our belt, and playing in the best conference all year – we’ve had a lot of huge games, a lot of pressure moments – so we can just rely on ourselves and everything we’ve done all year when those moments get tough like that, to maintain and continue to win the game.”Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler dribbles the ball against Houston Cougars guard Mercy Miller in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images “Just reading the defense, seeing what they’re doing," Wagler said of the Illini's approach in a 65-55 win over the second-seeded Cougars. "Houston, they were trapping, hard-hedging every ball screen, so just getting the ball out of my hands quickly, making them play in rotation. Just trusting my teammates to go out there and make the right play – and that’s what was happening. “When we went on our run, it was just me getting the ball out of my hands and us making quick decisions, getting wide-open shots, and we started to knock them down. And then if we weren’t, we were getting on the offensive glass.”Mar 26, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images “I think there’s a tremendous focus," Underwood said. "There’s a maturity. has done a really nice job of talking scout, following the details. We’ve been very specific about how we want to do some certain things. Watching film of last night’s game, I thought the most impressive thing was I didn’t feel like there was one possession that we were off. I thought we had the mental turned up. There weren’t a lot of scouting-report mistakes. That’s been one of the biggest keys. We’ve been very good throughout the season at times. We just haven’t been that consistent. So that has to continue if we want to keep moving on.”“It’s not one thing," Underwood said of the Hawkeyes' success in the tournament. "I think their ability to be diverse. They played a shooting lineup a lot yesterday with Koch and Sage. I think both those young men are better. They’re not freshmen anymore – not playing like freshmen. They’re playing like chiseled veterans. “They can play big. I think, defensively, they’re very dialed in, very focused. … They’re rebounding better – especially on the offensive side. I think they’re doing a lot of things very, very well. They played big against Clemson. Obviously, they matched Florida on the glass, which is very impressive. We scrimmaged Florida. We know how challenging that was. They’re obviously playing very well.”Primarily covers Illinois football and basketball, and Kansas basketball, with an emphasis on analysis, features and recruiting. Langendorf, a third-generation University of Illinois alum, has been watching Illini basketball and football for as long as he can remember. An advertising student and journalism devotee, he has been writing for On SI since October 2024. He can be followed and reached on X @jglangendorf.
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