Brad Underwood isn't worried about playing the Cougars in their backyard

The Illinois Fighting Illini are about to take on the No. 2-seed Houston Cougars in their own backyard.

The Sweet 16 clash is set to tip off at the Toyota Center, an eight-minute drive from the Cougars' home court at the Fertitta Center, and nearly 15 hours from the Illini's home at the State Farm Center.

Despite the clear advantage in favor of Houston, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is far from letting the disadvantage affect his team's or his own mindset.

"I don't worry about that," Underwood said on 104.3 The Score. "You've got to win to advance. Illini Nation shows up... You've got to play well."

Brad Underwood knows Illinois fans will show up

One of the big takeaways from Underwood's comments is the fact that "Illini Nation shows up," something that could massively factor into Illinois's chances in the Sweet 16 matchup.

If the crowd is closer to 100 percent in favor of Houston, the homecourt advantage will play even more heavily into the Cougars' hands. However, if a lot of Illinois fans make the trek to the Toyota Center and keep the crowd division closer to 50-50, the Fighting Illini could entirely disrupt the homecourt advantage.

At the end of the day, Underwood was also right about what actually matters at the end of the day: playing well.

If the Illini don't show up on the court, then Underwood's squad doesn't stand a chance. The good news is that Illinois has been playing some of its best basketball all season throughout the NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Illini defeated the Penn Quakers by 35 points in the first round and then drubbed the VCU Rams by 21 points to advance to the Sweet 16.

If stars like Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, and the rest of the team can continue showing up the way that they did throughout the first two rounds of the tournament, Illinois could absolutely stun the Houston Cougars in their own backyard.