Houston vs Illinois: Sweet Sixteen Showdown

0:00Houston reaches the Sweet 16 for seventh straight season, facing third-seated Illinois on Thursday night in the South region semi-finals at the bus. Toyota Center. The arena, home to the Houston Rockets, sits just over two miles from the Cougars campus, making it feel like a true home game for the second-seated team. Last year's national runners-up, the Cougars advanced by beating Idaho and Texas A&M in the first two rounds. Illinois got here with wins over Penn State and BCU, marking their second-sweet 16 appearance in three years. Players on Houston expect a roaring crowd that will drown out everything else, while Illinois coach, Brad Underwood, has no complaints about the setup. He says both teams will need to bring their best, no matter the location, just like Houston did last year against Purdue near their campus. The matchup hits Houston's top-ranked defense, which holds opponents to about 62 points per game against Illinois's 17th ranked offense, averaging 85 points. Both teams lean on standout freshman guards leading their scoring. Meanwhile, Big Ten rivals Nebraska and Iowa meet in the other Houston Sweet 16 game, their first-ever tournament clash.

1:10Each split their regular season meetings, with Nebraska snapping a long drought and Iowa upsetting last year's champs, Florida. These regional semifinals promise intense action right here in Houston. That's the story for today. El Paso News Today, Driven by AI, I'm Cory with the Story.