Illinois stuns Houston
Illinois knocked Houston out of the NCAA tournament with a 65–55 Sweet 16 win in Houston after mounting a 17‑0 second‑half run — the upset eliminated the Cougars on March 26 (houstonpublicmedia.org). The result reshapes the bracket as Final Four berths loom for games into the weekend (ncaa.com).
Illinois moves on to the Elite Eight and will meet No. 9 Iowa in the South regional final on Saturday, March 28 at 10:09 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center; the game will air on TBS. (foxsports.com) David Mirkovic posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Keaton Wagler also recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois. (sports.yahoo.com) Andrej Stojakovic provided a scoring lift off the bench with 13 points for the Illini, helping a balanced Illinois attack that featured multiple players in double figures. (sports.yahoo.com) Illinois ripped off a 17–0 run spanning roughly 6 minutes and 34 seconds in the second half that turned a close game into separation, a sequence capped by a 3-pointer that punctuated the stretch. (foxsports.com) Houston’s offense stalled for long stretches; Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 17 points while freshman Milos Uzan went 2-for-11 from the floor, and Houston attempted only two free throws in the game. (sports.yahoo.com) The Sweet 16 matchup was played at Houston’s Toyota Center with reported attendance of 17,307, and it sent third-seeded Illinois past second-seeded Houston — the Cougars entered the game as last year’s national runner-up. (houstonpublicmedia.org) Houston coach Kelvin Sampson addressed questions about his future in a postgame media session after the loss, saying he would “keep going” while deferring concrete answers about long-term plans. (abc13.com)
