Championship Bound: UConn rolls past Illinois to punch ticket to 2026 NCAA Championship

Image Credit: UConn Men's Basketball

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — When they get rolling, there’s no stopping them. 

The UConn Huskies are one win away from its seventh-ever National Championship title after taking down the Illinois Fighting Illini, 71–62, in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness Tournament Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“There’s no better feeling than being on that bus on Monday night, just being one of the last two teams standing,” said UConn head coach Dan Hurley, now on the way to his third National Championship game in the last four years, coming out of his first two appearances as a champion. “That bus ride to the stadium, it’s just a cool experience.”

The atmosphere inside the stadium on Saturday reflected the magnitude of the moment, as UConn put a halt to a crowd of 72,111, with the majority favoring the Fighting Illini due to the fact of the fan base making the two hour drive over from Illinois to Indiana. 

Despite the environment, one that no program could legitimately prepare for—over 70,000 in attendance zoned in on each possession—UConn remained composed and in control. Connecticut’s fan base did their part as well, showing support however from one look around, you could tell the fan-percentage in the building.  

The Huskies set the tone defensively and never really let up, holding one of the country’s top offenses to under 40% shooting and completely throwing off their rhythm. Whenever Illinois tried to make a push, UConn had an answer—whether it was a big shot, a defensive stop, or just controlling the pace down the stretch.

Senior big man Tarris Reed Jr. led the way with a double-double on 17 points, and 11 rebounds, while Indiana native and freshman guard Braylon Mullins had 15 which included a 4-of-7 clip on three point shots.

Solo Ball, a junior guard and left-handed shooter, also added 13 points to the board for the Huskies.

“Being able to put pressure on the offensive glass, and put pressure on the defensive glass, I feel like we could be better, but we escaped with the win today so we’re blessed and thankful for that,” Reed said on the rebounding battle which ended with UConn totaling 37 compared to Illinois’ 44. 

Reed’s presence in the paint played a major role in UConn’s ability to control both ends of the floor. His rebounding and physicality helped limit Illinois’ second-chance opportunities while also creating extra possessions for the Huskies. That impact, combined with UConn’s tenacity on defense as a unit, allowed them to mandate the tempo for much of the game as Illinois recorded six second chance points and the Huskies had 10. 

What also must be mentioned is UConn’s ability to force their opponent into costly mistakes, which Illinois dealt with all night, turning the ball over on eight occasions and only forcing the Huskies to let it up four times on the opposite end. 

Hurley credited UConn’s defense as the key to Saturday’s win—highlighting the team’s ability to apply pressure and hold Illinois to just 33 percent shooting (19/56 FG) along with stacking up the eight turnovers: 

“I think we spent a majority of the year as a top-five defense and obviously to hold them to 33 percent from the field, three assists, eight turnovers in the game, we won a lot of one-on-one battles,” he said. “Not all, but yeah, our defense sustained us. We ended up—we had so many opportunities. We could have made 18 threes (12/33). We had twos at the rim. We could have played better offensively and finished plays more. But great ball security, and the defense was elite.”

Despite dealing with early foul trouble, compiling two fouls in his first three minutes of play, Puerto Rican redshirt senior guard Malachi Smith (Bronx, New York) emphasized maintaining a consistent mindset heading into the next and final big game.

“I picked up a couple fouls early and it kind of took me out of my rhythm, but me as long as we make sure we get the W, that’s all that matters,” Smith noted. “It doesn’t matter if I’m scoring or not. I try to impact the game as much as possible.” 

What’s Next? 

UConn (34-5) will face Michigan (36-3) in the 2026 National Championship this coming Monday night, April 6th, for all the marbles—tip-off at 8:50PM ET/5:50PM PT on TBS, TRUTV and HBO MAX.

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