HOUSTON, TX. (WAND) - The Toyota Center is roughly two miles from the University of Houston campus. As the Illinois men's basketball team prepares to take the floor, many are expecting them to do so in an equivalent to a road environment. However, most in the Illini locker room are approaching their third game of March Madness no differently than any other matchup.
"No matter how the crowd is split, we're gonna treat it like a neutral game even if some people may not consider it to be," said Andrej Stojakovic. "At the end of the day, it doesn't say 'Houston' in the middle of the logo, it says 'March Madness'."
Whether or not the amount of orange and blue will be outweighed by red and white is yet to be seen. Still, head coach Brad Underwood is confident in his group performing in a near one-sided atmosphere.
"We've won on the road all year," Underwood said. "It's no different than going into West Fafayette, or going into East Lansing, or wherever. You've got to play the game. We're going to have to play well. We're going to have to be on point. We'll just treat it the same way."
Thursday night's tilt will likely be a tug-of-war between programs with different philosophies and strengths. The #3 seed, Illinois, ranks as one of the top offenses in the country, averaging about 84.7 ppg with incredible efficiency. Meanwhile, #2 seed Houston boasts one of the best defenses in Division 1, surrendering just 62.2 ppg to opponents, ranking them 2nd in the nation.
"We've worked our tails off all year to get to this point," said Kylan Boswell. "You can't let that pressure or nerves affect what's gonna be your outcome for how hard you play."
The stakes for Illinois in their trip to Houston are no different than their first two rounds in Greenville, South Carolina. It's win or go home. Yet, as the Illini go deeper into the tournament, the weight of the moment means much more. The opportunity in front of the players is one they're excited for.
"You want to celebrate the moments just because the reality is, I think if I do the math right, there's 349 teams at home that aren't playing right now in Division 1 basketball," Ben Humrichous said. "You're one of the 16 still going, so you want to embrace that. You want to celebrate that, but also, we have a chance tomorrow night to continue our season, so we locked back in."
The Illini are one of six Big Ten programs that advanced to the Regional Semifinals. In the South region alone, Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa represent the conference.
Anticipation has built quickly, and a late tip-off will only create more tension as the Cougars and Illini get set to take the floor, hoping to move one step closer to a trip to Indianapolis.
WAND Sports will continue to bring coverage throughout the week as Illinois hopes to extend their postseason.
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