Illinois entered the Final Four with the best offense in college basketball. It wasn’t enough on Saturday to overcome UConn’s disciplined defense and inside-out attack.
UConn disrupted Illinois’ normally efficient offense and rode its own balanced attack to a 71-62 win in Saturday’s first national semifinal. When Illinois threated to rally from a 13-point second-half deficit, it looked to a familar face.
Braylon Mullins, the hero of UConn’s Elite Eight thriller over Duke, hit a late 3 to help ice the win after previously going scoreless in the second half.
With the win, UConn advances to Monday’s national championship game, where it will seek its third NCAA title in four seasons. It will face the winner of Saturday’s second Final Four game between Arizona and Michigan.
Mullins had a strong first half picked up where he left off with a 3 for the first points of the game. The Indiana native playing close to home at the Indianapolis Final Four hit 3 of his first 5 3-point attempts en route to 12 points before halftime, including a bank shot that extended UConn’s advantage just before the break.
Tarris Reed Jr, meanwhile, bullied outmatched Illinois defenders in the paint in the first half. Illinois countered Reed with height on its front line in 6-9 forward David Mirković and 7-1 center Tomislav Ivišić.
But neither had the strength to limit Reed’s offensive impact at the rim and on the glass as he went for 11 points and 5 rebounds before the break.
While UConn tallied nine assists and zero turnovers before halftime, the Huskies limited Illinois’ normally potent offense to just one assist while taking a 37-29 lead into the break. The 37 points first-half points were the most Illinois had allowed in NCAA tournament play.
UConn kept its foot on the gas after halftime, extending its lead to 49-36 early in the second half, handing Illinois its largest deficit of the entire season. Mullins’ and Reed’s teammates took the offensive baton as UConn’s defense continued to frustrate an Illinois attack that ranks first in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, no matter who was on the fllor.
Illinois mounted a rally and held UConn scoreless for more than four minutes to cut its deficit to 57-53 late in the second half. Neither Mullins nor Reed had scored in the second half at that point after leading UConn in the first.
But Reed broke the drought with a layup in traffic to get the UConn offense going again. Illinois again cut the lead to four points before Mullins’ late 3 extended UConn’s cushion to seven points in the final minute. Illinois never got back within four points as UConn held on for the win.
In the end, Reed and Mullins led the way for UConn. Reed finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds while shooting of 12 from the field. A 59.4% free-throw shooter, Reed finished 5 of 5 at the line, including a pair of late clutch free throws to help stymie the Illinois rally.
Mullins finished with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. He struggled from the field overall (5 of 14) but thrived from long distance while hit 4 of 7 shots from beyond the arc. He maintained his composure while trapped in the backcourt late in the game and advanced the ball with a pass over midcourt to avoid a would-be critical turnover.
His poise in that moment was indicative of UConn’s throughout the game.
The Huskies weren’t terribly efficient while shooting 35% from the field. But they limited their mistakes while committing just four turnovers for the game. And they were effective from long distance (36%, 12 of 33) and at the stripe (88%, 15 of 17).
This story will be updated.
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