HOUSTON —All season long, Illinois coach Brad Underwood said his team would have to find a way to win games when shots didn’t fall. The Illini did just that to extend their season into the Elite Eight.
In a boxing match against No. 2 seed Houston, No. 3 seed Illinois brought its gloves and painted its defensive masterpiece of the season in a 65-55 win over the Cougars at Toyota Center on Thursday to advance to Saturday’s South Region final against No. 9 seed Iowa.
Illinois held the Cougars to a season-low 55 points and held Houston to suffocating scoring droughts of 4:12 in the first half and 6:46 in the second half to spur a deciding 17-0 run before Illinois overcame some late free-throw shooting woes to seal the win.
The Illini held Houston’s star trio of guards — Kingston Flemings (11 points), Emanuel Sharp (17 points) and Milos Uzan (six points) — to a combined 34 points on 13-for-37 shooting. Chris Cenac Jr. had 10 rebounds for the Cougars but shot just 3-for-12 from the field for six points.
David Mirkovic led Illinois with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow freshman Keaton Wagler had 13 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Andrej Stojakovic gave Illinois a boost off the bench with 13 points, and Tomislav Ivisic had nine points, three rebounds and three assists.
Both teams started the game cold with Illinois making just one of its first 10 shots and Houston missing its first seven shots. But Illinois used a 9-2 run, sparked by five straight points by David Mirkovic, to take a 14-10 lead midway through the half. Andrej Stojakovic then scored five straight points to spark a 7-0 run, holding Houston scoreless for more than four minutes to give Illinois a 21-14 lead. But Illinois went scoreless for the final 3:22 of the half, missing four straight shots, allowing Houston to end the half on a 6-0 run with Flemings hitting a three at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 24-22 at the break.
Houston tied it up on a Cenac dunk, but Illinois then shut the door on the Cougars by holding Houston scoreless for 6:46, allowing the Illini to go on a 17-0 run, spurred by 3-pointers from Mirkovic, Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous, to take a commanding 44-26 lead. Houston used a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to 46-35 with 8:02 left following back-to-back jumpers by Sharp. Illinois scored four straight points to get a 50-35 cushion, but Chase McCarty hit back-to-back 3-pointeres to cut the deficit to 50-41.
Yet, Illinois responded again with Tomislav Ivisic and Keaton Wagler hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to spur an 8-0 run to take a 58-41 lead with under four minutes left. But Houston made another desperate 12-2 run to cut it to 60-53 with 1:33 left. Kylan Boswell missed four of six free throws to keep Houston’s window open, but he sank two key free throws with 40 seconds left to help Illinois close out the win.
What it means: This team is one step away from being considered one of the three best teams in Illini history — and the Illini will be favored in Saturday’s semifinal against Iowa. The win against Houston is Brad Underwood’s best NCAA Tournament win as a head coach (Iowa State was No. 8 in the KenPom, while Houston was No. 4) and should silence any questions about whether he’s capable of leading deep March run as Illinois has made two Elite Eight appearances in three seasons. But now, the Illini need to complete the weekend by making this a truly iconic season with the program’s third Final Four appearance of the modern era.
Star of the game: David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler were the players of the game thanks to his great efforts on the glass and clutch shot-making. But we’re giving the shine here to Illinois assistant coach and defensive coordinator Camryn Crocker, who was hired to make this Illini defense better, and boy, did the Illini defense peak at the right time. The Illini defense was swarming, cut off Flemings for most of the night and forced Houston to take contested shots away from the rim. Underwood’s offseason hire paid off in a big way on Thursday.
Stats of the game
- Illinois outrebounded Houston 43-34
- Illinois outscored Houston in the paint 24-18
- Houston attempted only seven shots at the rim, making five of them.
- Illinois shot 9-for-23 from three, while Houston shot 9-for-32 from three.
- Illinois shot 12-for-21 on free throws, while Houston shot just 2-for-2 from the line.
- Houston scored 15 points off five Illinois turnovers.
- The Illinois bench outscored Houston’s bench 18-9
- Illinois led for 34 minutes.
Don’t overlook: Keaton Wagler didn’t shoot it all that well, but he was fantastic on defense (two blocks, one steal) in helping shut down Houston’s guards, he was tough and active on the glass with 10 rebounds and he had just one turnover against Houston’s trapping, pressure defense. Despite not making shots, Wagler played winning basketball.
What’s next: Illinois will play No. 9 seed Iowa on Saturday at Toyota Center following the Hawkeyes’ rally in a 77-71 win over No. 4 seed Nebraska on Thursday. The Illini won its lone game against Iowa this season, 75-69, at Iowa City on Jan. 11. Illinois built an 18-point lead midway through the first half before Iowa made late runs to cut the deficit to four multiple times. The Hawkeyes lost seven of 10 entering the NCAA Tournament but have surprised with a deep run into the Elite Eight in Ben McCollum’s first season. Bennett Stirtz was sensational on Thursday, but his supporting cast has played really well during the tournament, especially the frontcourt duo of Alvaro Folgueiras and Cooper Koch.
