As Braylon Mullins’ 35-foot three-point attempt dropped through the net, reality set in for UConn fans around the nation; the Huskies were returning to the Final Four.

Despite facing a 19-point deficit, Dan Hurley rallied his team to a win over Duke in the Elite Eight, renouncing any doubt that he is the best coach in college basketball.

The Huskies, led by two-time national champion Alex Karaban, are set to face off against a team whose unique makeup has them knocking on the door of something the program has been unable to accomplish in its 121 seasons of existence.

Illinois last reached the Final Four in 2005, when three-time NBA All Star Deron Williams led the Illini to the National Championship game before eventually falling to a talented North Carolina team.

Now, Illinois has returned to the Final Four, using a 43-27 scoring advantage in the second half to defeat Iowa in the Elite Eight. Highlighted by freshman sensation Keaton Wagler, the Illini pose a challenge for any team they face due to their sheer size.

Measured as the tallest team in the country, Illinois has a plethora of foreigners whose skill and height make them as dangerous as any team in the nation – most notably apparent in its 65-55 Sweet 16 win over Houston.

Below, we dive into the matchup and predict who will move on to face the winner of Arizona/Michigan in Monday night’s national championship.

Previewing UConn

After taking care of Furman and UCLA with relative ease – although the Bruins were without leading-scorer Tyler Bilodeau – the Huskies entered the Sweet 16 with two potentially massive matchups awaiting.

The first: a duel against Michigan State. UConn ran out to a 25-6 lead over the first 10 minutes of action and led by eight at the half. Yet, as expected, Tom Izzo’s team refused to roll over and gave the Huskies a test until the final whistle. UConn snuck out a 67-63 win to advance to the Regional Final to face Duke.

The Huskies used a triumphant, 44-28 second-half performance to send the No. 1 overall seed Blue Devils packing.

While a game is played over 40 minutes, and Hurley’s ability to will his team to victories in both of these tightly contested games is quite impressive, the inconsistency of UConn is an area of concern as we head to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

If the Huskies wish to defeat Illinois, they must be consistent on the offensive end. The lack of steady offensive production plagued UConn in the regular season, a primary reason the Huskies fell to a two seed prior to Selection Sunday.

In the regular-season finale against lowly Marquette, the Huskies scored just 10 points over a 14:03 stretch in the second half, contributing to their 68-62 loss.

In the Big East Championship, UConn fell to St. John’s 72-52 in the rubber match between the two. The Huskies fell in a hole early and were getting doubled up by the Red Storm, 32-16, with 8:20 remaining in the first half.

Yet, the Huskies – as they’ve shown to do – battled back and only trailed by seven with 12:25 remaining. However, the comeback attempt was short lived. Over the final 12 minutes of game time, UConn mustered up 10 total points and were run out of Madison Square Garden by Rick Pitino’s Red Storm.

In the Elite Eight against Duke, the main contributor to the Huskies’ mounting deficit was their inability to make outside shots. Prior to Karaban and Mullins’ late three-point makes, UConn was 3-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Improved shooting will be a key for the Huskies if they wish to advance to the title game.

Luckily for UConn, the Illinois defense is not quite as stout as the units for Michigan State and Duke. According to KenPom, Illinois owns the 20th best defensive unit in the nation, while the Spartans own the 13th best and Duke has the third best.

The Illini force the least number of turnovers of any Division I team, which should make things relatively comfortable for UConn’s backcourt. However, this is more of a stylistic choice by Brad Underwood’s team than a testament of poor perimeter defense.

The reason: the Illini’s stout interior unit. Illinois, with its incredible length, has the 29th-ranked block percentage in the nation.

While the offensive lapses are a reason for concern, UConn still enters the Final Four with plenty of reasons for confidence, most notably the notoriously expressive mastermind leading the Huskies.

Since becoming UConn’s head coach in 2019, Dan Hurley-led teams in the NCAA Tournament have been absolutely incredible.

Hurley owns a remarkable 13-3 record in the tournament as the UConn head coach. Arguably more impressive than his overall record is his 18-3 record against the spread.

If you take out his first two tournament appearances with UConn, where the Huskies lost to Maryland in 2021 followed by New Mexico State in 2022, he owns an 18-1 record, with the lone loss coming to eventual 2025 champion Florida in the Round of 32.

There is simply no one better in March Madness than Hurley. If you are wondering who will win Saturday night, an easy way to simplify it is by asking the question: Which team is Dan Hurley coaching? In the past, that likely leads you to your answer.

While Mullins received the shine for the game-winning shot, and Karaban is often praised for his leadership, the Huskies would not be in this position without the play of Tarris Reed Jr.

Through four NCAA Tournament games, the senior is averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. In the comeback against Duke, the Huskies ran their offense through the 6’11” center, as Reed scored 14 of his 26 points in the second half.

If the Huskies wish to knock off Illinois, Reed will have to play an instrumental part. Further, it’s imperative he stays out of foul trouble, as the Illini can take advantage of the lack of interior depth behind Reed if he has to sit with multiple fouls early.

While Mullins and Karaban have proved trustworthy on the perimeter – despite the cold beginning in the Elite Eight – guards Silas Demery Jr. and Solo Ball may need to provide timely buckets that could be the difference down the stretch.

Previewing Illinois

As mentioned throughout the UConn preview, the most notable aspect of Illinois is its size. Listed below is the height of each player who logs valuable minutes:

• Keaton Wagler, G, 6’6”
• Andrej Stojakovic, G, 6’7”
• Kylan Boswell, G, 6’2”
• Jake Davis, F, 6’6”
• Tomislav Ivisic, C, 7’1”
• Zvonimir Ivisic, C, 7’2”
• David Mirkovic, F, 6’9”
• Ben Humrichous, F, 6’9”

Outside of Boswell, the shortest height for the Illini sits at 6’6”, potentially creating difficult matchups for UConn across the floor.

Dan Hurley’s offense is notorious for its action that uses screens and off-ball movement to create open shots. On Karaban’s three-point make with just under a minute remaining in the Elite Eight, the 38.6% three-point shooter found himself open as the Blue Devils were unable to switch properly following a screen set on Pat Ngongba.

The Illini, due to their height, should be able to freely switch and cover these Hurley-created actions with more ease than most opponents.

Now, let’s focus on the Illinois offense that currently rates at the top unit in the nation according to KenPom.

Wagler’s best game of the tournament came in the Elite Eight against the Hawkeyes. The two-time Mr. Basketball of Kansas poured in 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting in 37 minutes of action. His height allows him to shoot contested three-point attempts, and if he is knocking down tough shots early, it may be a long night for the Huskies.

While Wagler may be the catalyst of the offense, Mirkovic continues to fly under-the-radar as a focal point of Illinois’ offensive attack. In the tournament, the freshman from Montenegro is averaging 14.8 points per game coupled with 11 rebounds, both higher than his regular season averages.

Mirkovic plays at a sluggish pace that poses difficulties for any defender. Further, similarly to almost all of the Illini, he can space the floor with his three-point shooting ability, knocking down 37.6% of his attempts this season.

Yet, Mirkovic is not the only crafty, floor-spacing big man for the Illini. The Ivisic brothers can both knock down the long ball, with Tomislav serving as the better shooter between the two, scoring 31.4% of his looks from beyond the arc.

A pleasant resurgence for the Illini throughout the South Region has been the play of Stojakovic. Against Houston, the Cal transfer attributed 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench. He followed up this performance with a 17-point outing in the Elite Eight.

Stojakovic had been relatively underwhelming throughout the regular season, making his performances in the second weekend of the tournament that much timelier for the Illini.

With UConn lacking depth behind Reed, expect Illinois to attack the paint early, potentially drawing Reed into foul trouble. The Illini shoot 57.9% from inside the arc, which sits as the 22nd-best mark in the nation.

Who will win?

Hurley’s stats in the NCAA Tournament are flat out overwhelming. When you couple that with the experience of Karaban and the recent play of Reed, picking against the Huskies is terrifying.

However, the matchups across the board favor the Illini too much to ignore. Although Reed will certainly still find success – as he still put up gaudy numbers against the sizeable frontcourts of Michigan State and Duke – Illinois should be able to at least slow him down.

Further, the foul trouble aspect is a significant point of worry for UConn. If Reed has to sit, Illinois can carve the Huskies inside the paint.

On the perimeter, I think the guard play favors the Illini as well. Wagler, Stojakovic and Boswell have been a more consistent group in this tournament than the likes of Ball, Demary Jr. and Mullins. Also, Demary Jr. continues to play through an ankle sprain, an injury that undoubtedly is affecting him more than he, or the Huskies, is admitting.

The most intriguing matchup, and potentially the one that will decide the game, comes at the power forward position with Karaban and Mirkovic. Karaban’s 17 career NCAA Tournament is the third-best mark in college basketball history, trailing only Christian Laettner (21) and Bobby Hurley (18).

After a game in which the Massachusetts native scored five points on 2-of-10 shooting, expect the two-time national champion to perform much better in the Final Four. However, I envision Mirkovic having a strong outing for the Illini as well. These two may set the tone for the game, and if that’s the case, we are in for a treat.

I would be remiss to not mention the fact these two faced off in a November neutral-site matchup in Madison Square Garden, a game in which the Huskies won 74-61. However, the two teams were both shells of their current selves.

Reed was just returning from injury for the Huskies, and Wagler had not been given the keys to the offense for Illinois. There are several points to discredit that outcome as an indicator of what will happen on Saturday night, but it feels important to at least acknowledge.

With that being sad, as daunting as it may be, I will ride on the shoulders of Brad Underwood and his barrage of Balkans to slay the Hurley dragon, sending the Illini to the national championship for the first time in over two decades.