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Amongst the pay-for-play and transfer portal-centric nature of the sport, both Illinois and Houston have built Final Four caliber operations in 2025-26 around talented freshmen.

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

ILLINOIS vs. HOUSTON

Records: Illinois 26-8, 15-5 in Big Ten Conference; Houston 30-6, 14-4 in Big 12 Conference

Date/Time/Place: Thursday March 26, 2026: 9:05 p.m. CST, Toyota Center in Houston

Capacity: 19,000

ODDS: Houston by 2.5

Series notes: Series tied 3-3 but Houston won the only meeting between the two schools in the NCAA Tournament 68-53, in the 2022 second round matchup in Pittsburgh. Taze Moore scored 21 points and Jamal Shead added 18 as Houston advanced despite Illinois. All-American center Kofi Cockburn scoring 19 in 38 minutes to lead Illinois. The Illini didn’t have an answer for poor shooting (6-for-25 on threes) or turnovers (17).

TV: TBS/TruTV; Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel & Stan Van Gundy (color analysts) and Lauren Shehadi (sideline reporter)

Local Radio (Illinois); Brian Barnhart (play-by-play); Deon Thomas (analyst)

National Radio: (Westwood One); Spero Dedes (play-by-play) & Fran Fraschilla (color analyst); SiriusXM – 209 or 202

HOUSTON — Within the race of nearly every dominant college basketball program to get older and more experienced, the highlighted regional semifinal matchup have put up a red flag to win with youth.

It’s not an accident that both Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and Houston’s head coach Kelvin Sampson both generate over each’s opposing scouting report with a smile because they’re both eerily similar in terms of roster construction philosophy.

“I think we’ve both done it with players that fit him and players that fit us. It’s not just a talent grab and pay a guy this or that.,” Underwood said Wednesday. “We saw their freshmen on the summer circuit and when they committed and signed (at Houston), it was like ‘oh yeah, that makes sense with the way they play and what they demand’.”

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

March 26, 2026

The Illini are back on the big stage in the Sweet 16 against perennial power Houston in the best matchup of the Thursday action. Of course, due to the Illini luck factor they will play Houston in Houston following the Iowa-Nebraska game on the other side of the bracket. These two teams have each had moments of struggle during the season, but both teams are now peaking and lead the tourney in point differential thus far.

It will be the #2 offense against the #4 defense in a matchup that everyone has been waiting to see.

Setting the Stage
2026 NCAA Tournament // Regional Semifinal // South Region
#3 Illinois (26-8, 15-5 B1G) vs. #2 Houston (30-6, 14-4 Big 12)
Thursday, March 26 // 9:05 p.m. CT // Houston, Texas // Toyota Center
TV: TBS/TruTV – Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel & Stan Van Gundy & Lauren Shehadi
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas National Radio: Westwood One – Spero Dedes (Play-By-Play) & Fran Fraschilla (Analyst) Satellite Radio: SiriusXM – 209 or 202

Notable
*Houston has just 1 win against teams remaining in the field. Illinois has 3. The Illini are 3-3 against the remaining field, while the Cougars are 1-4.

*Houston and Illinois have both struggled in close games. The Cougars have a 3-4 mark , while the Illini are 4-6 in games within 2 possessions. Houston’s close wins are against Auburn, Syracuse and Texas Tech.

*The Wagler and Flemings matchup should have NBA Scouts drooling, seeing two talented guards with the ability to take charge of games. Who takes this one over? I expect both teams to work hard to slow the other one down. Look for Illinois to match up hunt against Flemings to make him play defense, but also because he is not known as being a great defender at this point in his career.

*We have often talked about how David Mirkovic is the key player for the Illini, and one of the key players for Houston is Chris Cernac who will be matched up with him. Chris Cenac Jr. had 17 points and nine rebounds in their blowout win over Texas A&M. Both are talented freshmen who are key cogs for each of these teams.

*Since 1975, when the field was increased to 32 teams, Illinois has advanced to the Sweet 16 10 times, the Elite Eight five times, and the Final Four twice. Illinois has 10 all-time Elite Eight appearances, and 13 total Sweet 16 appearances. The Illini most recently played in both of those rounds in 2024.

*Illinois’ five Final Four appearances are second-most among teams yet to win a national title, trailing only Houston (7), and tied with Oklahoma

*This is the first time in more than 20 years that Illinois has made two Sweet 16 appearances in a three year span, since a run of four Sweet 16s in five years from 2001-05: » 2001-Elite Eight » 2002-Sweet 16 » 2004-Sweet 16 » 2005-National Runner Up.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

March 26, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – March basketball has once again placed Illinois in familiar territory.

The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three years under head coach Brad Underwood, establishing a stretch of postseason consistency that has energized the program and its fan base. While the focus remains on the court, speculation is already building off it as the 2025-26 season nears its conclusion.

With only 16 teams remaining and the season dwindling, conversations around roster movement, recruiting, and retention have intensified across college basketball. Illinois is no exception, but those closest to the program suggest the priority remains firmly on the present.

“Don't believe everything you hear about certain players leaving and how many are staying. If possible, the idea is to keep as many players as possible who can help Illinois and want to be there. The team is still trying to get back to a Final Four (for the first time) since 2005, and the school's first national title. So right now there's no talk about any of this until the season is over", said one source.

That message reflects a program locked in on making a deep tournament run rather than getting caught up in offseason noise.

Jason Jakstys says he’s beginning a light lifting program […]

An immediate and intense huddle organized by Illinois veteran duo Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous settled down the Illini last week after VCU made an early run.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 25, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

HOUSTON — There was a moment on Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina where Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous had just seen enough.

With five minutes and 27 seconds left in the first half of the second-round matchup, Illinois had seen Virginia Commonwealth cut its early double-digit lead to just two points and they just committed another turnover. To make matters worse, David Mirkovic was about to leave the playing floor with two fouls.

All that could be heard following those moments was Boswell, a fourth-year player who had already gathered the Illini players together at his off-campus apartment for a players-only meeting before the NCAA Tournament selection show, screaming at his teammates to get in a huddle near mid-court.

Boswell was face-to-face with Illinois’ consensus All-America guard Keaton Wagler trying to calm the freshman down. Humrichous was clearly doing his best to pump up an already offensively hot Andre Stojakovic and reassure a confident Tomislav Ivisic, who was on his way to a double-double effort.

On the eve of a second regional semifinal appearance in three years, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood acknowledged the administration and fans expectations of an annual Sweet 16 appearance.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 25, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

HOUSTON — After winning two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 56 points, before he left Greenville, South Carolina, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood felt the need to point out the difficulty in what his team just accomplished.

“It’s hard. It’s really hard,” Underwood said. “Most of the time it’s a play here or there, a lucky break or something that’s probably out of your control that decides whether you move on. What this team just did is really hard to do.”

In what is already being billed as a Final Four-type matchup by several national analysts, the Illini’s combined margin of their two wins this weekend (35 vs. Penn and 21 vs. Virginia Commonwealth) was only topped by its regional semifinal opponent, Houston, who defeated Idaho and Texas A&M each by 31 points in Oklahoma City.

Third-seeded Illinois (26-8) will face No. 2 seed Houston (30-6) on Thursday night inside Houston’s Toyota Center for their second NCAA tournament clash this decade. The Cougars ousted the Illini 68-53 in a 2022 second round game in Pittsburgh to continue a run that now has reached seven consecutive trips to the regional semifinals. That's a milestone Illinois has now touched twice with Underwood.

“Every team in this tournament has had its own journey full of ups and downs,” Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said.

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Co-Founder

March 24. 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

By now, most of you have figured out that I'm a numbers nerd. Give me an inch and I'll create a spreadsheet!

With that, I've been charting where college hoops is heading for the past few years. There have been massive changes in the sport - from NIL and the virtual disappearance of transfer hurdles to legendary championship winning coaches leaving the game. And I have preached for years about the importance of reaching the NCAA's second weekend from a visibility & branding standpoint. Those are the teams that the media focuses on and gets to know. They commonly appear on preseason Top 25 lists, regardless of who is actually on the current roster.  Their wins get talked about and their best players get promoted. The biggest names in college basketball are those consistently in the regional semifinals. It's no coincidence that the Illini appeared on network television seven times this season. When Brad Underwood arrived nine years ago, most Illinois games could only be seen on BTN Plus.

At the same time, there are bluebloods with banners hanging that are getting dustier with each passing season. Take nothing away from the success that was accomplished, but - in a world where everyone is handing out bags and there are so many teams with more recent success - how powerful are those legacies compared to the here and now?

-Kentucky's last Final Four was 11 years ago.
-Next spring, Indiana fans will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their last hoops championship.
-11 different coaches combined to deliver just one NCAA title to UCLA in the half-century since the legendary John Wooden retired and even that crown is now 31 years old.

Parity exists today in a way we haven't seen in generations. There have been five Final Fours in this decade and incredibly 18 different teams have filled those slots. Only two-time champion UConn and Houston have made it to college basketball's final weekend twice since the pandemic cancelled the 2020 NCAA tournament.

So, who are the elite teams of today? Which teams garner the most attention and can point to the scoreboard as being among the nation's best, based more on today's body of work and not of its program's history?

Illinois offensive coordinator acknowledges “it’ll be a process” to have a relatively smooth transition this spring trying to replace four offensive line starters from 2025 lineup.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

March 25, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — The perspective of the difference for the Illinois offensive line from 2025 to this spring can be fully exemplified by the center position.

For the last 37 games over the last three seasons of Illini football, it was assumed and a level of comfort that Josh Kreutz would be on the football in the middle of the offensive line. With Kreutz now out of eligibility and spring practice having begun Monday evening, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said the competition to the replace the All-Big Ten selection included as many as six players.

“There’s a lot of guys, especially on the offensive line, where we’re jockeying around position-wise because we don’t quite know yet if they’re going to be a tackle or a guard or which side of the line they’d feel most comfortable at in their footwork and their eyes,” Bielema said on Monday afternoon.

Illinois opens its first week of spring practice attempting to find

The Illinois Board of Trustees approved the contracts of […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women’s basketball team saw its season come to an end Monday night, falling to No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, 75-57, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Memorial Gymnasium.

The loss marked Illinois’ largest margin of defeat this season at 18 points. Entering the matchup, the Illini were 12.5-point underdogs, but the final score did little to overshadow what has been a promising year for one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten, and the youngest group to reach this year’s NCAA Tournament field.

Now, the focus shifts to what comes next.

Head coach Shauna Green made her message clear in the locker room following the loss, emphasizing continuity and growth for a team that exceeded expectations.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

March 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini head into the Sweet 16 for the 2nd time in the past 3 years behind a mid-season adjustment that has led to a dominant offense.

The knock on Brad Underwood is often that he is stubborn and doesn’t change, but the reality is far from that narrative. In the 2024 season the Illini were playing well, but struggled to have an identity. After a loss to Tennessee in Knoxville in December, the Illini made a change to play through Marcus Domask and his ‘booty ball’ style. The Illini had struggled to defend it when Penn State had executed to perfection behind future NBA Guard Jalen Pickett surrounded by 4 shooters.

But the change was evident, and effective. Domask had a 20% usage or higher in just four of the first 9 games and would then have a usage rate above 20% in 27 of the remaining 29 games, would help Illinois to the Elite 8, become an all-conference player and withstand the Terrence Shannon ‘suspension’. The Illini finished the season with the #3 rated offense on KenPom.

In 2026, it was a similar scenario. Illinois had lost to UConn at Madison Square Garden and Freshman Guard Keaton Wagler had been solid, playing off the ball mostly and even grabbing a ton of offensive rebounds from the ‘dunker’ spot. Illinois was 6-2, but they were ranked as the #23 offense and #35 defense.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema says his 2026 spring roster could look drastically different with several positional changes when it’s released next week.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

March 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — For the first time since his first season as the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bret Bielema’s official release of the spring roster might be the most anticipated moment of the offseason.

As he enters his sixth season leading the Illini football operation, Bielema acknowledged Monday, on the day of his team’s first spring practice, that several positional changes for the 2026 season are still being figured out by coaches and staff members inside the Smith Center.

“To be quite honest, in these first three days, we’ve got some guys who are in positions that are new to them, new to us and we have to see exactly where they are before we’ll make an initial announcement of how they’ll be lining up,” Bielema said Monday afternoon. “When you get the roster, you’ll see three (defensive positions) defensive line, linebackers and defensive backs and that’s it.”

Illinois conducted its first spring practice on Monday night and will return to the Memorial Stadium filed on Wednesday morning. The first two spring practices, per NCAA regulations, must be without shoulder pads where the players are just in helmets and cushioned spider pads underneath their jerseys. All of Illinois’ 15 spring practice sessions will be closed to the public.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Georgia State Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Among the many new faces that Illinois welcomed through the transfer portal, Georgia State transfer Deuce Fillmore provided Illini fans with not just a look into how the team’s new defensive coordinator will run things on his side of the ball, but also a unique view on his recruitment.

Fillmore started his career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and while his second stop at Georgia State was sure to provide a step up in competition, he described the step up to Illinois as an even bigger one.

“You see a lot of big guys,” Fillmore said after a big exhale. “You don’t really see them from where I’m at, but the competition’s different, the energy’s different… everything’s just different.”

The decision to come to Illinois from the transfer portal was an easy one for Fillmore, but that came in large part thanks to someone who isn’t on the staff anymore.

“Whew, the portal’s a lot, but as soon as I got here, I knew I just wanted to come here,” Fillmore said. “I met Coach (Corey) Parker, Coach Henry, sadly he ain’t here no more, but they just made it a whole experience.”

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

March 24, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – While the spotlight shines on March Madness across college basketball, the Illinois football staff is preparing for an important stretch on the recruiting trail, with visitors set to arrive in Champaign and potential offers on the horizon.

One name to watch is 2028 prospect Gregory Bess-Henning II, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver and defensive back from Mundelein, Illinois. Bess-Henning II is scheduled to visit Illinois on March 30 and is optimistic about what could come from the trip.

We caught up with the talented underclassman to get the latest on his recruitment. Heading into the visit, he is hopeful that an offer will follow.

"I don't have an offer from Illinois, but I'll probably get one on my visit," Bess-Henning II said.

By IlliniGuys Staff March 23, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]