It’s shoot first, ask questions later for Illinois’ men’s basketball team in this NCAA Tournament.
We’re talking Super Soakers in the locker room, of course. After a 76-55 win against VCU in Greenville, South Carolina, the Illini sprayed at will, the Sweet 16 beckoning. There would be time to discuss the next opponent, South Region No. 2 seed Houston, over the coming days.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to stop and drench the roses first.
“This is why I came here,” coach Brad Underwood told reporters.
“It’s what we work for,” said guard Andrej Stojakovic, who led the Illini (26-8) with 21 points.
Enjoy it.
Enjoy it.
Enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/JMasN2Pjha
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 22, 2026
Seven more Sweet 16 matchups were to be determined on Sunday, but by the end of tournament play Saturday night, the only one set was Illinois-Houston — and, at least for those on the outside looking in, it felt almost as big as it gets.
The No. 3-seeded Illini have arrived as a tournament regular under ninth-year coach Underwood and clearly possess the talent and size to have a shot at the Final Four. The Elite Eight in 2024 is the furthest the program has gone since the national championship near-miss of 2005.
The Cougars (30-6), in the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight year under Kelvin Sampson, have ascended to superpower level. Last year, they blew a double-digit lead against Florida in the title game and lost by a whisker. They reached the Elite Eight in 2022 — beating Illinois 68-53 along the way — and the Final Four in 2021. In three regular seasons since joining the Big 12, arguably college basketball’s best conference, they’re a startlingly great 48-8.
After demolishing Texas A&M 88-57, the Cougars are the first team since 2008 to win its first two tournament games by 30 or more points. They’re a guard-driven crew offensively — Kingston Flemings, Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp — that leads the nation in fewest turnovers committed, yet the de
