Illinois’ Final Four Run Ends With UConn Answering Every Late Push

INDIANAPOLIS — Illinois reached the last weekend of the college basketball season by winning the possessions that changed games. Against Connecticut, it found enough of those possessions to threaten a comeback, but not enough to finish one.

The Fighting Illini lost 71–62 in the national semifinals on April 4, ending their season at 28–9 and their first Final Four appearance since 2005. Keaton Wagler scored 20 points and collected eight rebounds. Tomislav Ivisic added 16 points and six rebounds. Connecticut answered Illinois’ late scoring and advanced to the championship game.

There was a chance to change the ending. A 10–0 Illinois run cut a double-digit deficit to 57–53 with 5:02 remaining. Eight consecutive Illinois free throws preceded an Andrej Stojakovic layup that completed the run. The Illini had kept themselves close without needing a sustained stretch of three-point shooting.

The problem was what came next. Wagler brought Illinois within four points on a layup with 1:38 remaining and again on a three-pointer with 38 seconds left. Connecticut scored on the possession following each basket. Illinois could reduce the margin, but could not put together the consecutive stops required to take control of the final minute.

Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies. Braylon Mullins scored 15 points, and Solo Ball added 13. Their production gave Connecticut several answers at a time when Illinois needed the Huskies to come away empty. Connecticut improved to 34–5; the championship itself was still to be played.

Illinois’ only lead came in the first half. An Ivisic three-pointer made it 22–21 with 7:54 remaining before halftime. Connecticut then outscored the Illini 16–7 to reach the break ahead 37–29. That finish left Illinois pursuing the game for the entire second half, even when its late run made another comeback look possible.

The season’s achievement remained substantial. This was Illinois’ sixth Final Four, joining the program’s appearances in 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989 and 2005. Its 28 victories ranked fourth in program history. Brad Underwood’s team had moved beyond another successful regular season and into a part of the tournament Illinois had not reached in more than two decades.

The route to Indianapolis showed why this team belonged there. Illinois beat Penn 105–70 and VCU 76–55 in the opening weekend. It then defeated Houston 65–55 and Iowa 71–59 in the South Regional. Four victories produced four different tests before Connecticut stopped the run.

Against Houston, Illinois won through defense and rebounding. It held the Cougars to 22-for-64 shooting and finished with a 43–34 advantage on the glass. David Mirkovic had 14 points and ten rebounds, while Wagler contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds. A 17–0 second-half run turned a close game into an Illinois lead Houston never fully erased.

That game offered a useful counterpoint to the semifinal. Against Houston, Illinois produced a long stretch in which the opponent could not score. Against Connecticut, the Illini’s most urgent late baskets were followed by answers. The distinction was not whether Illinois could compete with another national contender. It was whether it could prevent the next basket after making its own.

The regional final against Iowa required another second-half response. Illinois trailed 32–28 at halftime, then won the second half 43–27. The Illini finished with a 38–21 rebounding advantage and outscored Iowa 40–12 in the paint. Wagler scored 25 points, Stojakovic added 17 and Ivisic finished with 13.

With that game tied 51–51 and 7:14 remaining, Illinois outscored Iowa 20–8 the rest of the way. The Hawkeyes did not score in the final two minutes. That was the closing stretch that secured the trip to the Final Four: Illinois combined its scoring with the defensive possessions necessary to make a late lead hold.

The semifinal did not provide the same finish. Illinois remained within reach, but remaining within reach and advancing are different outcomes. Connecticut’s responses kept the Illini from turning pressure into a lead, and the final score ended a tournament run that had already changed the place of this season in program history. The contrast between the two weekends was particularly sharp: Illinois had ended Iowa’s season by combining a late scoring run with stops, then found itself unable to break Connecticut’s sequence of answers.

For Illinois, the record now contains both facts. A national semifinal loss ended the season. Four NCAA Tournament victories, a regional championship and a return to the Final Four made that season one of the program’s most accomplished. The last game was a missed opportunity to play for a title; the month before it was the reason that opportunity existed.