#5/5 (2) Men’s Basketball Falls to #13/12 (3) Illinois in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Thursday, March 26

Toyota Center – Houston, Texas

9:05 pm

University of Houston

30-7,14-4Big 12

Illinois

27-8,15-5Big Ten

Illinois

Houston

emanuel sharp drives with defender on his hip

Photo by: USA Today Sports Images

#5/5 (2) Men’s Basketball Falls to #13/12 (3) Illinois in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

3/26/2026 11:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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Cougars conclude season with 66-55 loss in Toyota Center

HOUSTON (AP) – The #5/5 (2) University of Houston Men's Basketball team fell, 65-55, to #13/12 (3) Illinois in the NCAA Tournament South Regional Sweet 16 inside Toyota Center on Thursday night.

The first half was a defensive slugfest as neither team could get any separation. Illinois (27-8) used a 7-0 run over a four-minute stretch, but Houston (30-7) clawed back with a pair of 3-pointers from senior guard Emanuel Sharp and freshman point guard Kingston Flemings to cut the deficit to two at the half.

Freshman forward Chris Cenac Jr. tied the game with a dunk to open the second half but a 20-2 burst from Illinois made things difficult to rally.

Sharp led the Cougars in scoring with 17 points followed by 11 from Flemings and a trio of 3-pointers from redshirt freshman guard Chase McCarty. Cenac grabbed 10 rebounds for Houston, who shot 34 percent from the field and 28 percent from beyond the arc.

Houston reached the Sweet 16 for the seventh straight year – the nation's longest active streak – and finished the year with 30 wins for an NCAA-record-tying fifth straight season.

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