After meeting at the beginning of the regular season, No. 2 UConn and No. 3 Illinois will face off once again, this time in the Final Four on Saturday night. Although the Huskies beat the Illini by 13 points in November, the Illini have made some major changes since then that have allowed them to flourish. Saturday may be a rematch of the two schools, but it’ll be far from the same game that was played at Madison Square Garden.
“You watch Illinois from the first time we played them, obviously, like every team that’s playing in this tournament or has advanced in the tournament, a much better version of themselves in terms of identity,” said UConn head coach Dan Hurley. “Just expect a real war.”
Wagler runs Illini now
To start the season, freshman guard Keaton Wagler was starting, but he was playing off the ball, with senior guard Kylan Boswell primarily running the offense. Since then, Illinois made a switch in its backcourt, placing Wagler into the primary ballhandler role, where he’s taken off. Against UConn in November, Wagler only played 14 minutes and got off just three shots, scoring 3 points. That was his last single-digit scoring game.
Wagler has scored in double figures in every game since then and has been Illinois’ offensive engine. His three-level scoring ability has been a challenge for defenders, because even if they take away one avenue for him to score, Wagler still finds another. Whether that’s stepback threes or driving to the rim and getting to the free-throw line, UConn will have a young, confident guard with a mature offensive arsenal to defend on Saturday.
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“I think we just have to guard him, run him off the 3-point line, make him make plays, and I think you force him into tough situations and he’ll turn the ball over,” said UConn junior guard Silas Demary Jr.
Reed’s dominance
UConn senior center Tarris Reed Jr. was coming off an injury when he played against Illinois at the beginning of the season, only seeing 15 minutes of action. Although he only scored 2 points, Reed showed glimpses of his prowess on the glass, grabbing five rebounds in his limited minutes, including two offensive boards.
Since returning to the rotation in his regular capacity, Reed has put up 11 double-digit rebound games, including a 27-board performance in the opening game of the NCAA tournament. He is also averaging 14.7 points on the season, making him a nightly double-double threat. The senior is hoping to continue his strong play and close out his final weekend of college basketball with two wins and a national title.
“I attribute it all to Jesus, man,” Reed said. “The Lord has been so gracious to me. Just buying in. Just focusing on my faith, helping me mentally on the court, just being able to go out there and play free. … This is it for me, so I’m trying to go out there, swing for the fences every play, every possession.”
Last time out versus the Huskies, junior center Tomislav Ivišić was a bright spot, at least in the second half. He had eight rebounds in the final 20 minutes after having a passive first half. During Illinois’ NCAA tournament run, Ivišić has looked consistently more like the high-energy 7-footer that his team needs, grabbing 6.2 boards per game and posting up more on the offensive end.
Ivišić, along with freshman forward David Mirković, will need to set the tone early on the boards and show Reed that they are there to compete for a full 40 minutes. Boxing out and preventing Reed from offensive rebounding is a major part of that.
“Such a physical big,” Mirković said. “He has a great footwork. We’ll give our best. I think he didn’t see two 7-footers yet in March Madness. We just got to play physical with him. Don’t let him duck in and bully us and get much offensive rebounds as he did.”
Updated Illinois rotation
Back in November’s contest, Illinois was still figuring out its identity. Freshman guard Brandon Lee and sophomore guard Mihailo Petrović, who are both entirely out of the rotation now, played 11 and 18 minutes respectively. Wagler and Mirković, Illinois’ freshman stars, were quiet, each playing less than 20 minutes.
Besides just minute allocation changes, Underwood has updated his starting lineup, which has allowed certain players to find a new level. Junior wing Andrej Stojaković was a complete non-factor in November, only scoring one bucket on seven attempts.
After experiencing high highs and low lows during the course of this season, Stojaković has thrived coming off the bench over the last month, especially since settling into the role during the postseason. He is averaging 15.4 points over the last five games and has been proficient at getting to his spots around the rim, finishing, drawing contact or dropping in midrange jumpers.
Illini defense thriving
A lack of defensive focus led to multiple avoidable losses for the Illini in February, but over the course of the last four games, their play on that end of the floor has looked top-notch. Against one of the most physical teams in the country, No. 2 Houston, in the Sweet 16, Illinois showed that it is up there with the best of the best.
Stopping No. 9 Iowa from scoring in the last two minutes of the Elite Eight, as well as a dominant performance in the first two rounds, showed how Illinois can couple its high-octane offense with a premier defense that will send even the best teams home.
“They mix up their coverages,” Hurley said. “They don’t play the same defense every single game. I think they’re a program and a staff that game plans, so you have to be prepared for multiple things. They’re not just going to guard you the way that they guarded Houston. They’re going to look for things to take away.”
UConn is a team that just had a 19-point comeback in the Elite Eight against No. 1 Duke, so it has the ability to get hot and fight back against tough opponents. However, Hurley warned that the Huskies cannot get themselves in a hole again, because this time, the Illini may step on their throats.
“If we do that again on Saturday, we won’t be as fortunate to make such a comeback,” Hurley said.
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