On March 20, 2022, the Illini lost a 68-53 game against Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars. The loss, while expected, was particularly galling.
The loss came against a Houston team built to beat teams like Illinois. And let’s be clear: this game was one of the first attempts by Brad Underwood to build a roster that matched several key tenets of his ethos.
- The focus on positional size was real.
- Having shooters at four+ spots on the floor was the intention.
- Positional versatility and defensive switchability were prioritized.
As a reminder, this was the squad that had Luke Goode, RJ Melendez, Austin Hutcherson, and Jacob Grandison to serve as the switchable, versatile wings
who can shoot. It had the biggest big man who was bigging at the time in Kofi Cockburn.
This was also Illinois’ first season of the Underwood era without the original assistant coaching corps of Orlando Antigua, Ronald “Chin” Coleman, and Stephen Gentry. So they didn’t have the built-in advantages of Mac Irvin Fire and Caribbean/Tri-State talent pipelines.
Let’s get the elephant out of the room early.
Look, I don’t like complaining about the refs. It’s typically a cheap, low iq way to break down a loss. It’s absolving a team of its ability to make enough shots, get enough stops, and adjust when needed.
So that call of a technical foul on RJ Melendez was one of the plug-nickel dumbest calls I have seen in my life.
And if momentum is real, that could have cost Illinois a lot.
But it was not responsible for the absolute pounding the Illini took in that game.
The game itself
Houston played a very Houston-like game. They used a grindingly slow pace and stellar defense to take the Illini out of their game.
They beat the Illini 15-6(!!) on the offensive glass. They held perennial double-double machine Kofi Cockburn to only 8 rebounds. Kofi’s 19 points by far led the Illini. Their next highest scorer was RJ Melendez with 9.
Houston turned the ball over 8 times compared to 15 for the Illini.
Who cares? That was four full years ago. This is a completely different Illinois roster.
Yes, yes it is. That’s the point. The loss to Houston helped jumpstart the mentality that fueled the current Illini roster build.
Illinois didn’t have a transcendent offensive player who could get their own shot against difficult defense. They didn’t have enough catch-and-shoot players* to spread the floor and give Kofi the appropriate space to crush.
*Alfonso Plummer was a good enough shooter to play on ANY Illini team, so let’s not sleep on how excellent he was.
Terrence Shannon Jr. signed that offseason, kicking off a two-year stretch where his force of will became the defining characteristic of a resilient, tough Illini squad that grew into its own as an offensive team.
Upon Shannon’s departure, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley arrived in Champaign with the expectation that they would be high-end shot creators and playmakers who could thrive in an uptempo offense.
Even when a team like Houston shows up, Illinois’ offensive talent can overcome Houston’s top-5 defense.
The offensive scheme is not game-dependent.
Illinois doesn’t have a massively personnel-dependent offensive philosophy. Their goal is to hunt mismatches and put their scorers in position to fill it up.
It’s harder to find advantageous matchups against a team built to shut down top scorers.
So, the new roster concept is different than the last time Kelvin Sampson’s squad played the Illini in the tournament. What do I have to be excited about?
Illinois in 2026 is not as dependent on any one player as it was on Kofi in 2022.
If Keaton Wagler has an off game, that may not be the death knell.
Andrej Stojakovic has demonstrated an explosive, if inconsistent, ability to take over games.
David Mirkovic can impact games in more ways than any Illini player since Terrence Shannon Jr.
Kylan Boswell can put Kingston Flemings in a straitjacket like he has done to similarly talented guards since arriving at Ubben.
The Ivisic brothers’ ability to (theoretically) stretch the floor can limit Chris Cenac and the Houston frontcourt’s ability to seal the game on the glass.
And of course, let’s get the obvious thing out of the way.
Yes, Illinois can catch fire from behind the arc. And if they don’t, they can flex their offensive rebounding chops. That’s how this team seeks to win.
To be clear, Houston loves to slow games down. Illinois can handle playing at a slower pace. That tempo actually could favor an Illini team playing with efficiency.
Either way, Illinois vs. Houston is a game that doesn’t belong in the round of 16. This is a legitimate Elite 8/Final Four matchup.
Two head coaches with high ambition and prominent filial assistants.
Two precocious freshmen guards who look like top-ten picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Two top-6 KenPom squads.
Shapes up like a true heavyweight fight.
So what do you think?
How impactful was the 2022 loss to Houston? Does Illinois have a genuine chance at a better result this time around?
