This dream isn't over yet.
While most of the country expected Houston to have its way with Illinois and Brad Underwood, the opposite was the case. In the second half, the Fighting Illini were downright dominant, cruising to a big-time win. Next up is the Elite Eight against Iowa.
Illinois basketball revenge on Kelvin Sampson is still sweet 19 years later
What stood out the most in the 65-55 win was that Houston's offense looked terrible from start to finish. At times, it looked like Kelvin Sampson's team simply could not buy a bucket. So, how was Underwood's team able to pull that off? The veteran coach was quick to give credit to one of his assistants for making that magic happen. Yup, take a bow, Cam Crocker.
#Illini head coach Brad Underwood credits assistant coach Cam Crocker for the defensive game plan.
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) March 27, 2026
He says Illinois planned to let Chris Cenac take short/mid-range jump shots.
"Every shot he took was one their guards didn't take... It worked."
(Video from KXAN) pic.twitter.com/szWbPjtBqW
Illinois coach Cam Crocker ended up being a hero in the win over Houston
Sensational! That's what you call an assistant coach doing his job in looking at the scouting report and putting the opposition in a tough spot. Things went according to plan, as Houston indeed looked off for the majority of the night.
The 17-0 run in the second half was a perfect combination of Illinois catching fire, while the defensive effort gave the Cougars all sorts of issues. Houston did its best to make things interesting down the stretch, but the comeback was too little, too late.
Now, the Fighting Illini, in shocking fashion, are one win away from reaching the Final Four. Standing in the team's way is Ben McCollum and Iowa, who are on a dream run this month. Iowa shocked No. 1 Florida and then followed that up by taking down Nebraska too.
On paper, yes, Illinois is the better team and the higher seed. Some might assume that a win will be on the way for Underwood and Co., but that's not going to be easy at all. Iowa needs to be taken seriously and the Fighting Illini will need to be at their best in this one.
This includes Underwood coaching up a masterclass, as McCollum will have quite the game plan ready too. Should Underwood need some help, we now know that he'll be able to rely on Crocker to help him out. What he was able to get done vs. the Cougars can't be overstated - it really made the difference.