The Illini came through down the stretch against the Cougars, and social media couldn't get enough of it
Illinois is headed to the Elite Eight, and it got there by winning exactly the kind of game Houston usually drags opponents into before drowning them.The Illini knocked off the Cougars 65-55 in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 on Thursday, surviving a first-half rock fight before breaking the game open with a huge run after the break.
It was ugly, physical and tense for long stretches, which made the result even more impressive. Houston entered the night 30-6 and built to win games in the mud. Instead, Illinois beat the Cougars at their own game and now sits one win away from the Final Four. The first 20 minutes was a very hard watch. Neither team could find much rhythm offensively. Every possession felt contested, and clean looks were hard to come by. Illinois led just 24-22 at halftime, and at that point it looked like the game might simply come down to which side could survive the ugliness a little longer. Houston missed shots, Illinois missed shots and every basket felt like it had to be earned through a minor act of violence.Illinois ripped off a 17-0 second-half run that completely flipped the game. What had been a tense grinder suddenly became an Illini avalanche. The defense stayed vicious, the rebounds kept coming, and Illinois finally found just enough offense to make Houston crack. The Cougars, one of the toughest teams in the country, looked rattled.That defensive effort was the story. Brad Underwood may have coached the best game of his career, because this was not just about effort and energy. Illinois looked prepared for everything. The rotations were sharp, the help was timely, and Houston never looked comfortable running offense. Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 17 points, but Milos Uzan went just 2-for-11 from the field. Houston committed only five turnovers yet still could not generate enough quality offense to keep up. That says a lot about how disruptive Illinois was without having to rely on steals. Illinois also more than held its own physically, which is not something many teams can say when facing Houston. The Illini won the rebounding battle 43-34 and got 12 boards from Houston made a few pushes late, and Illinois absolutely had to hold on for dear life over the final minutes. But the Illini never let the game slip away. Now they are one step from the Final Four, and after a performance like this, social media was blowing up with excitement.Kylan Boswell is trying to open up the door for Houston to do some 2025 final 4 vs Duke stuff here!Big toughness game for Keaton Wagler.. had to get through two fouls just to get the 3rd one at the rimIllinois' Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic are the first pair of freshman teammates to each have a double-double in the same NCAA tournament game since freshmen became fully eligible in 1972-73 🔥Two Elite Eights in three years for Illinois. Pretty remarkable the program Brad Underwood has built there compared to where he found it. Unbelievable opportunity awaits Saturday. One win from an Indianapolis flooded with fans in orange. Illini D was terrific. They didn’t play drop coverage. Didn’t let the guards beat them. The length of Illinois really bothered Houston. Houston settled for 3 and did not feel comfortable scoring over the top of the Illini in the lane.Primarily covers Illinois football, basketball and golf, with an emphasis on news, analysis and features. Hegde, an electrical engineering student at Illinois with an affinity for sports writing, has been writing for On SI since April 2025. He can be followed and reached on Instagram @pranavhegde__.
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