Kelvin Sampson Breaks Down 'Unbelievable Challenge' vs. Illinois in Sweet 16
In this story:
The Houston Cougars, as expected, have made quick work of their first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in convincing fashion and have booked a spot in the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh consecutive season.
The Coogs have blown by their first two opponents, winning both matchups by 31 points, taking down the Idaho Vandals in round one 78-47 and in round two the Cougars routed the Texas A&M Aggies 88-57 to get themselves into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Houston gets ready for the Sweet Sixteen, which will be in its backyard, played at the Toyota Center, taking on the No. 3-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini, who head into the ballgame with a 26-8 overall record, with one of their strengths highlighted strongly by the Coogs.
Kelvin Sampson Talks about Illinois' Offense
With the Sweet Sixteen matchup slated for Thursday, March 26, at 9:05 p.m., head coach Kelvin Sampson spoke on Tuesday and discussed what sticks out and what works when looking at the Illinois squad, highlighting its offensive construction.
"It's really well put together," Sampson said. "They have two seven-foot-one guys, both of whom can shoot threes, they have a point forward in (David) Mirković, who forces you into tough positions. The (Keaton) Wagler kid, I'm sure, is going to be a lottery pick. I was watching tape on his 46-point game at Purdue; he's awesome. He's a six-foot-seven guard who can play the point."
In the Big Ten, the Fighting Illini had the second-best scoring offense, just behind a No. 1 seed in the Michigan Wolverines, 84.7 points per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field as a team, along with shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc and 78.4 percent from the free-throw line.
Leading that offense is Second Team All-American freshman guard Keaton Wagler, who is Illinois' leading scorer, averaging 17.8 points per game, while being efficient in his shot selection, shooting 45 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from three-point range, while also being solid from the free-throw line, shooting 79.9 percent.
Sampson highlighted what makes the Fighting Illini's offensive system difficult to contain.
"They're all difficult to guard, and they play with a great space," Sampson said. "They play five out, force you into switches, and then they take advantage if you get caught in rotations or if you're late somewhere and they make you pay."
Additionally, Sampson was complimentary when talking about the Illinois offense when doing the preparation and scouting for the Sweet Sixteen matchup.
"I haven't seen Illinois play much this year, but in scouting them for the first time, I found myself being a fan and enjoyed watching it," Sampson said. "Then I go whoa, how do you guard it, so it's an unbelievable challenge to try to get ready for them, but they're really fun to watch."
