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Fighting Illini brace for massive Final Four matchup against UConn
Mark Carman from CHGO Sports breaks down how the Illini stack up in their rematch against the UConn Huskies.
INDIANAPOLIS - With 1:37 left, Illinois basketball was down just four.
It wasn’t over.
But, the odds were not stacked in their favor. Just the opposite, actually. This UConn team, which was found ways to win when it looked bleak, was not going to let Illinois win.
Alex Karaban missed a 3-pointer. Silas Demray Jr. flew in and grabbed an offensive rebound against an Illinois team that thrives on rebounding. Braylon Mullins’ hit a 3-pointer off that rebound. That was the dagger.
Illinois’ magical run ends in the Final Four at the hands of the Huskies 71-62.
Here are our takeaways from the game.
The magic wasn’t there
The Illini went most of the NCAA Tournament getting the rolls they needed.
The rim was their friend, the right calls went their way and the right shots landed for them. On Saturday, that wasn’t the case for Illinois.
Illinois made a living shooting lights out in the NCAA Tournament. In the Final Four, the Illini needed to get hot.
The shots just didn’t fall in. There was a moment where UConn guard Solo Ball launched a 3-pointer. The ball bounced straight up, and fell in.
When the Illini cut the UConn lead to just four, Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. put the Huskies back up eight with consecutive baskets.
Nothing told the story better than Karaban’s missed three getting plucked out of the air by Demray. UConn beat Illinois at its own game.
That told the story of the game.
UConn negated the Illinois guards
Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic were issues for plenty of teams in the NCAA tournament. No one figured out how to guard either star player.
Even when Houston bottled up Wagler, he was a factor on defense. Mirkovic affected the game in plenty of ways. Wagler woke up and never let Illinois go quietly into the night. He had a 20-point game.
With 6:08 left in the game, Illinois had just two assists. Illinois shot closer to 20 percent from 3-point range than 30 percent for most of the game.
Andrej Stojakovic, who was reliable in the second half of games, was held to under 10 points for most of the game.
The Illini bigs were protecting the rim at an elite level. That wasn’t the problem for Illinois, which adjusted to Tarris Reed Jr.’s big first half.
An all-time run ends
Illinois fans and alums will not forget this run. It was one of the ages.
Beating Houston and Iowa to reach the Final Four meant the Illini did something that not many thought was possible.
Later in the season, the losses to Michigan and Wisconsin meant Illinois was seriously doubted. Plenty thought they wouldn’t advance out of the Sweet Sixteen, especially when VCU had all the momentum.
That wasn’t the case.
This team ignited belief. Brad Underwood can win a championship in Champaign. The blueprint exists, and there’s no longer a March blight on Underwood’s resume.