The No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini are moving on to the Elite Eight portion of the 2026 NCAA Tournament after pulling off a 65-55 win on Thursday against the No. 2 seed Houston Cougars in a Sweet 16 matchup at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Illinois basketball's suffocating defense played a big role in the Illini's success against Kelvin Sampson's squad.
Illinois is headed to the Elite Eight! pic.twitter.com/IfIp0X2pqL
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 27, 2026
The Cougars were held to only 34 percent shooting from the field. They had 13 more attempts from the field than Illinois, but failed to maximize those shots enough to avoid falling prey to the Fighting Illini.
Illinois is known more for its offense than what it does on the other side of the court, but it reminded everyone that it can also get things done when its scorers are not clicking.
The Fighting Illini are second in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency and 21st in adjusted defensive efficiency. They had a slow start, scoring only 24 points in the first half, but got it going in the final 20 minutes, dropping 41 points in that span.
The Fighting Illini have now won all their games in the 2026 NCAA Tournament thus far by at least 10 points. They got out of the first round by drubbing the No. 14 seed Penn Quakers (105-70) before destroying the 11th-seeded VCU Rams (76-55) in the second round.
David Mirkovic had 14 points for Illinois against the Cougars, while Keaton Wagler and Andrej Stojakovic each scored 13 points.
Up next for Illinois basketball is an all-Big Ten showdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight round on Saturday, still at the Toyota Center.
