It has happened, the Illinois basketball team is advancing on to the Elite 8.
This was one of the weirdest games, as both Illinois and Houston shot poorly. But the Illini continued to fight. We continued to grind, and the result was a positive one.
Illinois let a lead slip away at the end of the first half with a Houston 6-0 run. Thankfully, there was a big adjustment at the half, and Illinois came out firing. We got a double-digit lead quickly, and Houston had very little fight. They chipped away at the lead, but we kept them at an arm’s length. This led to a 65-55 win over Houston.
Here are five massive observations from the Illinois basketball win over Houston
1. What an incredible defensive performance by Illinois
There have been some historically great performances in the history of the Illinois basketball program, but this one is up there with the best of the best.
Illinois just went up against a Houston team that hasn’t dropped out of the top 10 in the country this season, and they held them to under 60 points. That is an incredible accomplishment.
There was a ton that went into the great defensive effort by the Illini. We didn’t let Houston get to 10 free throws in the game. Their first free throw attempts came with less than four minutes left in the game.
Houston also struggled shooting the ball. They were under 35% from the field, and Illinois held them to sub-35% from three-point range as well.
Illinois’ defense didn’t waver much either. There were times Houston would go on a little run, but the defense then locked down the Cougars and didn’t let them get going.
What we witnessed on Thursday night was something special. The Illinois defense just played the best game of the season at the biggest moment.
2. The Illini freshmen took over
Illinois has had quite a few players step up this season when we needed someone to shine. One of the constants has been the freshmen, though.
On Thursday night, the Illinois freshmen were great once again. They were the heart and soul of this program, and the Illini freshmen lifted us into the Elite 8.
David Mirkovic was the brightest star. He finished the game with 14 points, nine rebounds, and two assists on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range. His ability to find his teammates anywhere on the court is incredible.
Illinois also had Keaton Wagler step up in a big way. He started shaky, but his second half was sensational. Wagler finished the game with 13 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.
Houston was going to give Illinois a battle, but we weren’t going to win unless the freshmen played good basketball. We saw that with two huge performances from freshmen. That is something you don’t hear often. They led us to the Elite 8.
3. Illinois got a big three-pointer from an unlikely source
For much of the second half, Illinois had control of the game. Houston was trying to chip into our lead, but they were struggling to get anything going.
With less than six minutes left in the game, the Cougars managed to narrow the margin to nine points, 50-41. Illinois needed something good to happen.
The Illini then got a source of points that I wasn’t expecting. Tomislav Ivisic has been struggling from three-point range a lot this season, but he got the ball at the top of the key and knocked down a massive three-point shot.
This make by Ivisic gave Illinois a double-digit lead once again. It was one of the biggest shots of the game because the momentum that the Cougars were building was zapped away. That shot alone changed so much in the game.
Ivisic has been pretty bad from beyond the three-point arc. He showed up in the biggest of games with one of the biggest shots.
4. The bench was dominate for Illinois
One of the keys for Illinois to win the game on Thursday was the Illini bench beating the Houston bench. We needed our bench players to play big.
When the dust settled, I couldn’t have asked for more from the Illinois bench. Not only did they play well, but they beat Houston’s bench in the Sweet 16.
Illinois’ bench combined for 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point range. They also pulled down four rebounds and dished out three assists.
The Cougars did get good production from one player on their bench. Chase McCarty got hot in the second half, but he was their only bench contribution. He finished with nine points, one rebound, and one assist, which is all the entire Houston bench had as well.
One of Houston’s biggest weaknesses coming into the game was depth. Illinois exposed that weakness to our advantage. The Illini bench was huge in this victory.
5. That is how you rebound the basketball
This is the biggest Illinois basketball team I have ever seen. We are one of the biggest teams in the country, as well.
Illinois flexed that size on Thursday night. It was apparent all throughout the game that Illinois was the bigger team, and Houston was struggling with that size.
The Illini really bullied our way in the rebounding department. The Illini finished with 43 rebounds compared to Houston’s 34 rebounds. This includes 12 offensive rebounds for the Orange and Blue compared to 11 rebounds for the Cougars.
What is crazy is that Illinois’ freshmen were the leading rebounders on the team. Mirkovic finished with 10 rebounds, and Wagler came in with a team-high 12 rebounds. It was an incredible performance on the glass.
To get more opportunities, the Illini needed to win the rebounding battle. We did that against Houston, and that is a big reason we are on to the Elite 8.