Luke Goode and RJ Melendez were 2 years old the last time Illinois made it to the Sweet 16.
They won’t be 19 when the Illini make their next.
On the backs of the freshmen and All-American Kofi Cockburn, the Illini nearly roared back to another ugly NCAA Tournament win to advance to the second weekend for the first time since 2005, but a late run by Houston was enough to propel the Cougars to a 68-53 victory at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon.
After a lethargic first 15 minutes of just 11 points, the freshman duo sparked a late run to give the Illini a fighting chance in the second half.