After two games as pretty hefty favorites, Illinois will get a taste of its own medicine next week in the Sweet Sixteen.
The game will be Thursday in Houston — so expect the Cougars to have quite the home court advantage. No game time has been announced.
FanDuel has the total points for the game at 139.5, so definitely expect both teams to put up some points, but Houston also boasts an elite
defense that will give the Illini problems. KenPom has Houston’s defense as the fourth-best in the country, and its offense at No. 11.
The winner will get Nebraska or Florida/Iowa, but we’ll have that matchup finalized on Sunday.
Of course, this is a rematch of Illinois’ 2022 NCAA Tournament loss to Houston, when the Cougars won 68-53.
Hopefully there isn’t a repeat and the Illini head to their second Elite Eight in three seasons, with a real shot at the Final Four in Indy.
