Saturday night was sweet for No. 3 Illinois, as it advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 76-55 win over No. 11 VCU in Greenville, South Carolina. The victory not only marked the second time in the last three years that the Illini have made the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, but it was also head coach Brad Underwood’s 300th career win.
Junior wing Andrej Stojaković led the offensive charge for Illinois, putting up 21 points on an efficient 7-for-12 shooting performance. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler, junior center Tomislav Ivišić and senior guard Kylan Boswell all scored in double figures as well. The vibes were high postgame, as the Super Soaker water guns made their return to celebrate the win, appearing in the locker room for the first time since Illinois’ 2024 Elite Eight run.
“If we’re fortunate enough to win (the next game), wait till they see the big one that I’m coming in with next time,” Underwood said.
Sweetness from Stojaković
Stojaković registered his eighth 20-point game of the season Saturday, with much of that effort coming early to help Illinois get past a physical VCU defense. Coming off the bench, Stojaković was an immediate spark plug, aggressively driving and finishing at the rim. He even played some Marcus Domask-esque booty-ball on a possession where he got a midrange fadeaway jumper to kiss off the glass and fall through the net.
After spending two seasons at Cal and Stanford, Stojaković had never gotten to experience March Madness firsthand. Now, he’s through to a Sweet 16 in his first-ever NCAA tournament, and that’s exactly what he hoped would happen when he chose to transfer to Illinois.
“Telling myself that I’m going to the Sweet 16 is pretty surreal, but it’s why I came here,” Stojaković said. “We came here to get this experience, and in return, we got to help this team get as far as we can take it. I’m just super proud and happy for every single one of these guys.”
When the Rams took a 28-26 lead with just a few minutes remaining in the first half, the Illini were really seeing their mistakes add up. It was a physical battle, with VCU being handsy on the perimeter, leading to steals, and banging bodies down low, making it difficult for Illinois to find anything easy in the paint.
Even with their turnovers and seeing such a tough defensive scheme, the Illini stayed resilient. A single-handed 9-0 run by Stojaković erased VCU’s momentum and slight edge on the scoreboard, securing a 7-point Illinois lead at the break. Illinois’ defense was able to hold VCU scoreless over those last three minutes, which was just foreshadowing for what was to come on that end of the floor after halftime.
After halftime, just about everything went right for the Illini, as they expanded their lead from single to double-digits, and eventually 20-plus. It was a combination of continued offensive production with a shutdown of a top-50 VCU offense that allowed Illinois to pull ahead and stay there. The Illini shot 50% overall and from three in the last 20 minutes, while holding the Rams to 37.9% shooting, including just 3 for 14 from three, in that same period.
“Holding that team to 53 points was remarkable,” Wagler said. “If we do that any game, then we should win because our offense is so great.”
Waiting in the Sweet 16 for Illinois is No. 2 Houston, which reached the second weekend for the seventh-straight year under head coach Kelvin Sampson. It’ll be a home court advantage for the Cougars, with the game taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
“Oh they won?” Zvonimir said in the locker room when told Houston would be Illinois’ next opponent. “S—, we got to still do business.”
Houston’s front court and rebounding ability are powerful, but its guard play is just as good. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings, a projected top-10 NBA Draft pick, will face off with Wagler, also a likely top-10 pick, in what will likely be Illinois’ toughest test of the season.
A trip to the Elite Eight is on the line, and with the resurgence of energy the Illini have shown in their first two games of the NCAA tournament, they look like they have the ability to get there. It’s all a matter of staying locked in for one more game at a time.
“I grew up dreaming of this,” Wagler said. “Excited to get down there and play, compete, against a great Houston team. It’ll be a dogfight against them, so we got to get prepared.”
