With a 35-point victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Illinois Fighting Illini looked as dominant as any other team in the bracket.
While the VCU Rams are the next box to check, Illinois's dominant performance in Round 1 has people looking to the future. More specifically, it has experts eying who the Illini could face in the Sweet 16.
After Illinois blew out the Penn Quakers 105-70, experts started seriously discussing the Fighting Illini as a contender to make a deep run in the tournament, and that included possibly going head-to-head with the No. 2-seed Houston Cougars.
Illinois and Houston flying toward a Sweet 16 meeting
The Cougars breezed past the Idaho Vandals in the first round, securing a 78-47 win to move on to the Round of 32. Now, Houston just has to defeat the Texas A&M Aggies, an in-state foe, to advance to the Sweet 16.
If Illinois pulls off the likely win over VCU in the second round and Houston defeats Texas A&M as the odds suggest, the two dominant programs are flying toward a meeting in the third round of the tournament.
Heading into the Big Dance, the Cougars were 28-6 overall, earning the No. 2-seed in the South Region after finishing the regular season ranked fifth in the country. Meanwhile, Illinois was 24-8 before beating Penn, entering the NCAA Tournament as a three-seed and ranked 13th in the nation.
The colision that could very likely happen between these two top-15 teams will be extemely telling of how the winner of the (possible) Sweet 16 matchup does moving forward.
This game could be season-defining for Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini. A win could propel them to a spot in the Final Four. A loss could leave the bitter taste of disappointment in their mouths, once again.