Illinois Advances to Sweet Sixteen

0:00A March 22nd Illinois beat BCU 76-55 in the NCAA tournament, punching their ticket to the sweet 16 for the first time since. Last year, a huge momentum swing came in the second half. When Zavonomir a visit, swatted away a dunk attempt and then slammed home one of his own right after. The Alini owned the paint all game, outrebounding BCU 42-29 and keeping the Rams off the free-throw line until late. Their defense stayed tough from start to finish, shutting down easy looks and ending the first half strong. Fans saw Benchspark from Andrej Stoja Kovic, who dropped 21 points in 26 minutes. Keaton Wagler heated up too, adding 14 points with key second half threes, 5 rebounds and a couple assists. Depth stepped up with early fouls sidelineing some starters, but the team never lost focus. A visit chipped in with a block, a dunk and three assists, despite just two points. Now Illinois heads to face Houston in the sweet 16 on Thursday, right in Houston's backyard,

1:04but they've gone eight and two on the road this season in just own South Carolina.