No. 3 Illinois beats No. 2 Houston at its own game, claims spot in Elite 8 vs. Iowa
· Yahoo Sports
Everything appeared to line up for Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars.
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No. 1 seed Florida had been knocked out of the South bracket. The No. 2 Cougars entered the Sweet 16 playing a South regional hosted just miles from Houston’s campus at the Toyota Center.
And they opened Thursday’s Sweet 16 game playing their own brand of basketball in a grind of a first half against No. 3 Illinois. But Illinois beat Houston at its own game.
Illinois took a 24-22 lead out of halftime and pulled away for a 65-55 win to advance to the Elite Eight. Illinois will play in Saturday’s South regional final against 9 Iowa.
Houston’s season, meanwhile, ends short of the Final Four as Sampson and the Cougars remain in search of their elusive first national title.
Normally explosive Illinois wins ugly
A team known for its explosive offense more than lockdown defense, Illinois limited Houston to four points in the first 8:40 of the second half. It rode a 17-0 run to a 44-26 lead with 11:54 remaining, and Houston never recovered.
The Cougars cut their deficit to as close at 50-41 with under six minutes remaining. But Illinois responded with an 8-0 run to reassert control, doing what it did in the first place to build its lead — making life difficult for Houston’s offense and crashing the offensive glass.
And an Illinois team that ranks second in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and 24th in defense won ugly to move within a win of the Final Four.
Illinois’ explosive All-America freshman Keaton Wagler shot just 4 of 14 from the floor and finished with 13 points, nearly five fewer than his season average of 17.8. But the 6-foot-6 guard led both teams with 12 rebounds, including 3 on offense as Illinois secured a 43-34 margin on the glass.
Fellow freshman David Mirkovic added 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead Illinois in scoring.
Illinois didn’t shoot particular well at 43% from the floor. But it connected on 39% (9 of 23) of its 3s, with several coming after offensive rebounds.
Houston falls flat
Houston’s offense featuring three starters from last year’s Final Four team that pushed Florida until the final seconds of the national championship game couldn’t get anything going on offense.
Houston shot just 34% from the floor and 28% (9 of 32) from 3. Every Houston player shot worse than 50% from the field. And the Cougars got to the free-throw line just twice.
Emanuel Sharp led the Houston effort with 17 points. Fellow veteran starters Milos Uzan and Joseph Tugler managed just six points each. Uzan shot 2 of 11 from the field.
Houston’s own All-America freshman Kingston Flemings finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in what was likely his final game before entering the NBA Draft as a projected lottery pick.
What’s next for Houston, Sampson?
For Houston, it adds up to a disappointing end to a season that started with hopes of a return trip to the Final Four. And Sampson enters another offseason of hoping to rebuild a contender, having perhaps missed his best opportunities to win a championship these last two seasons.
Sharp and Uzan, both seniors, are certainly gone. Freshman starter Chris Cenac Jr. could join Flemings in the NBA Draft.
Illinois, meanwhile, keeps playing and is one win away from its first Final Four since Deron Williams and Dee Brown led it to the national championship game in 2005.