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Houston is a -4.5 favorite versus Illinois in their Sunday NCAA Tournament matchup.
Houston beat UAB easily in the first round, 82-68.
Kyler Edwards scored 25 points, Fabian White Jr. added 14 for Houston.
The Cougars (30-5) advanced in the South Region and will play fourth-seeded Illinois on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Christian Koloko scored 17 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and keyed a second-half surge for top-seeded Arizona, which beat No. 16 Wright State 87-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
Alfonso Plummer scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers that kept Illinois (23-9) within striking distance in their first round game against Chattanooga. The 7-foot Kofi Cockburn, fending off bodies left and right, finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds while absorbing 11 fouls. His putback with 45 seconds left gave the Illini the first of just two leads they held all night.
“It wasn’t frustrating,” Cockburn said. “I’ve been going through that all year. Probably all my whole career. I think it was just another challenge. This is the NCAA Tournament, and things get tough.”
- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
