The sights within No. 3 Illinois’ locker room were unfamiliar ones on Saturday night compared to the rest of its NCAA tournament run. Instead of celebrating a win with Super Soakers and smiles, the Illini sat in front of their lockers with solemn faces while sharing what this historic season has meant to them, as it came to an abrupt end at the Final Four. 

Despite Lucas Oil Stadium being filled to the brim with orange and blue, Illinois was unable to secure its revenge over No. 2 UConn, ultimately falling 71-62 in its final game of the season. The Illini were fighting to keep the margin close with the Huskies the whole night, but missing open shots plagued them, while all the bounces seemed to be dropping in their opponents’ favor. Because of this, Illinois couldn’t mount a comeback, though it came close. 

“We’ll hang banners,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “But today was not our day. I want them to all hold their head high and feel proud of the jersey they wore.”

It was an emotional walk off the floor for nearly all the Illini after taking the program to its first Final Four in 21 years. Whether it was watching two freshmen break record after record or seeing the Illinois seniors lead the program back to the top, it will be a season to remember for the players, the coaching staff and the fans. 

“It means everything,” said senior guard Kylan Boswell. “I mean, I’m surrounded by a group of people who I love. I said it over and over again, it makes it so much easier. It’s a long season, a lot of days you don’t want to do this, being with people I’ll forever have a bond with … It means a lot.” 

Reed Jr., Mullins headline hot Husky start

As expected, UConn’s physicality in the paint was evident from the start, thanks to senior center Tarris Reed Jr., who was a dominant force at the rim both as a scorer and a rebounder the entire tournament. Reed went to work when he got the ball in the post against Illinois twin junior centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić, and it was difficult for the pair to handle the combination of his strength and ability to quickly execute post moves. After scoring 7 points early, Reed finished the half with 11 points on an efficient 5 for 8 from the field. 

Alongside his scoring, Reed got going early on the glass as well, which didn’t bode well for the Illini because that’s what they needed to limit to have an advantage in the game. In the first half, Reed secured five rebounds, two offensive and three defensive, giving UConn second-chance opportunities, scoring off those chances himself. Illinois knew Reed wasn’t the same player from the first meeting in November, and he proved that right away to give UConn a physicality edge.

“We knew how he scores,” said freshman forward David Mirković. “He scores from rebounding, he scores from low post, from back-ins. But he’s surrounded by good shooters … You just can’t stop him, especially in the first half.”

The Huskies didn’t only control the game at the rim at the start, but from the perimeter too. That was due to hot shooting from freshman guard Braylon Mullins. After Mullins hit the game-winning three to send UConn to the Final Four against No. 1 Duke, it was clear he would have the hot hand again on Saturday night. Mullins is a hard matchup to have in half-court scenarios because he’s constantly on the move, coming off screens to spot up threes. 

The Illini struggled to make it difficult for Mullins to score in the first half, and since they weren’t knocking down threes themselves, it was a difference maker. Mullins ended the first half as the game’s leading scorer with 12 points on 4 for 8 shooting, including going 3 for 5 from deep. Mullins had as many threes himself in the first half as Illinois did as a team.

Interior defense finds its footing 

As Illinois started to make a small comeback about halfway through the first half, the catalyst for its 13-3 run was picking up its interior defense. By keeping the Huskies from continuing their dominance in the paint, the Illini were able to gain some traction, even taking the lead with a little less than five minutes left in the first half. Illinois went back to its defensive principles of protecting the rim and forcing tough two-point attempts, and it kept UConn from impacting the game from that area. 

The newfound defensive presence in the paint continued into the second half as well, especially against Reed. In comparison to his first-half scoring spree, Illinois held the center to just six second-half points, forcing him to score most of his points from the free-throw line. He went just 1 for 4 from the field. The Illini’s interior defense spread past Reed, too, as they held the Huskies to just three made field goals inside the arc in the second half.

Although Illinois’ focus on protecting the paint kept Reed from benefiting UConn down the stretch, it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficiencies on the other end of the floor, a place where Illinois usually excels. Even six blocks, including three from Mirkovic, compared to the Huskies’ two, didn’t make the difference in the game’s end result. The Illini needed to make shots, and that just didn’t happen.

“When you miss some easy ones, then it stresses your defense,” Underwood said. “I couldn’t have been happier with our defense.”

Game is decided from three 

The Huskies weren’t shy from three-point range from the get-go, and it was their night to get hot after going 5 for 23 against the Blue Devils last weekend. UConn ended the game shooting 12 for 23 from deep, finishing 36.4% on the night. 

Mullins was the Huskies’ leader from three the entire night, finishing the game with 15 points on 5 for 14 shooting from the field, alongside 4 for 7 from 3-point range. The freshman even hit the game-sealing three for UConn with less than a minute left off a second-chance offensive rebound from junior guard Silas Demary Jr.. The Illini tried multiple different defenders on Mullins throughout the night, including Mirkovic and graduate student forward Ben Humrichous. However, neither could slow him down. 

The freshman sharpshooter wasn’t the only Husky who dominated the Illini from deep, though. Junior guard Solo Ball went 3 for 7 from three to go along with his 13 points after not hitting a single three against Duke in the Elite Eight. Off the bench, junior forward Jayden Ross was a perfect 2 for 2 from 3-point range as well. Demary and senior forward Alex Karaban also knocked down one triple each to help UConn maintain its advantage over Illinois. 

When the Huskies were running their shooters off screens away from the ball, they started moving the ball, recording 14 assists on the night, which forced the Illini defense to shift as well. The screening action — combined with constant movement — gave UConn more open looks from three than Illinois usually gives. The Illini just couldn’t match the Huskies’ shooting on the other end. 

“We held them to 35 percent,” Underwood said. “They just made more threes than we did. Just keep fighting. Like you said, I love the shots we’re getting. I loved the opportunities. Today, for whatever reason, the lid was on it. My hats off to them. They made theirs.”

Illini gone cold 

While the Huskies couldn’t seem to miss on Saturday night, the Illini were struggling to see a ball go through the net. There have been nights throughout the season where Illinois was able to shoot the ball poorly and still pull away with the win, but when it was trading 2-point field goals for threes, coming back was a tall task. The Illini finished the game shooting just 33.9% from the field and 23.1% from three with only six made 3-point attempts. Tomislav and freshman guard Keaton Wagler accounted for four out of the six.

“I don’t know, I feel like we missed a lot of shots at the rim that we usually make,” Tomislav said. “I don’t know how other way to call it than bad luck.” 

Illinois is a team that uses its offensive versatility and plethora of scorers to its advantage, but UConn’s defense forced it into isolation situations and decreased Illinois’ ball movement with its aggressive perimeter play. The Illini only recorded three assists in the matchup, and Wagler had two of them. Even though Wagler was able to take over in the second half, finishing with 20 points on 7 for 16 shooting, it wasn’t enough to carry Illinois to the National Championship game. 

Illinois was inefficient from the field across the board, even missing easy shots at the rim. Mirković went 2 for 7 from the field for 6 points, Boswell was 1 for 6 and Humrichous was 1 for 4. Wagler, Tomislav and junior wing Andrej Stojaković were the only Illini who truly found any success offensively, as Stojaković provided a boost off the bench in the first half and Tomislav found his rhythm in the paint in the second. Stojaković ended the game with 9 points and Tomislav with 16. 

“It just happened that the basketball didn’t want to get in,” Mirković said. “We had a lot of open shots, open threes, a lot of putbacks … It wasn’t our day. It happens.” 

With UConn’s physical defensive style, the fouls racked up quickly, sending Illinois to the free-throw line for 23 attempts on the night. Even with three Illini going perfect from the charity stripe, the Illini still went 18 for 23 at the free throw line and couldn’t overcome a poor outing from the three-point line. 

@evy_york2 

[email protected]