Heroes and zeros of UConn’s 71-62 victory over Illinois to return to NCAA championship game:
Hero
Six days after his 35-footer sent Connecticut to the Final Four, Braylon Mullins made the biggest shot of the Huskies’ national semifinal victory over Illinois. His 3-pointer with 52.1 seconds to go pushed the UConn lead to seven. He also hit two early 3s to get the Big East powerhouse off to a good start on his way to 15 big points.
Zero
Brad Underwood is going to have nightmares about Connecticut. The Illinois coach is now 0-for-3 against Dan Hurley and the Huskies. This year, the Illini’s two lowest-scoring games came against UConn. In the 2024 Elite Eight, Illinois was blown out, too.
Unsung Hero
Tarris Reed Jr. was mostly quiet in the second half as Illinois did everything possible to limit his touches. The senior center still notched his third double-double of this NCAA Tournament with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and he hit four big free throws in the final 2:46.
Key Stat
18: Connecticut victories over the past four NCAA Tournaments.
Quote
“I just couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how hard they fought, when most people probably didn’t think we were going to win the game.” — Hurley, referring to his Huskies being underdogs.