UConn vs. Illinois Final Four Preview: How to Watch, Game Info & Top Players

The UConn Huskies and Illinois Fighting Illini will face off for the second time this season in the men’s Final Four opener.

Fantastic finishes helped the UConn Huskies and Illinois Fighting Illini fly into the Final Four.

(Photo by Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The national semifinal portion of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament opens with a matchup between the Huskies and Fighting Illini on Saturday evening. Part one situates the respective champions of the East and South regions.

Seeded second in the East, UConn punched its Final Four ticket through one of the most exhilarating triumphs in recent Tournament memory: not only did it erase a 19-point deficit against top-ranked Duke, but it completed that comeback through a game-winning 3-pointer sunk by freshman Braylon Mullins with less than a second remaining. Tarris Reed Jr. kept up a torrid tournament pace with 26 points in the win.

UConn is making its third Final Four appearance in the last four years, with those prior trips producing the fifth and sixth national championships in program history. Prior to besting the Blue Devils, the Huskies took down Furman, UCLA, and Michigan State in the early rounds.

Final Four Preview: UConn Huskies vs. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois had a slightly more manageable trip to the Final Four, winning each of its first four tournament games by double figures. The last did require a comeback, as they overcame a 10-point disadvantage to post a 71-59 triumph over conference foe Iowa in the regional finale. Teenage sensation Keaton Wagler scored 25 points in his continued breakout, while David Mirkovic led a dominating rebounding effort that outpaced the Hawkeyes by 14.

The Illini are back in the Final Four for the first time since their bittersweet Dee Brown/Deron Williams-led run to the 2005 national title game. They earned their sixth such showing with regional triumphs over Penn, VCU, Houston, and Iowa, with the average margin of victory just under 20.

NO. 5 UCONN GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE

The Huskies take a big time non-conference win over No. 13 Illinois in MSG pic.twitter.com/XQRK1Stv8h

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 28, 2025

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between UConn and Illinois, who previously faced off in November at Madison Square Garden in New York. Despite 25 points from Kylan Boswell, the Illini struggled to make any headway on offense, shooting just 32 percent in defeat. Solo Ball led the Huskies with 15 tallies while Malachi Smith had 14 points and nine assists off the bench. UConn now leads the set 4-1 and notably downed Illinois en route to its last national title in 2024, using a 30-0 run to procure a 77-52 victory in the Elite Eight.

Who: (2) UConn Huskies (33-5, 17-3 Big East) vs. (3) Illinois Fighting Illini (28-8, 15-5 Big Ten)
What: NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Semifinal/Final Four
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
When: Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET, TBS/TruTV/HBO Max
Wager: ILL -2.5 (O/U: 139.5)

Tarris Reed Jr. throw it down!

UConn is within 7 pic.twitter.com/hTJ87P4rUh

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 29, 2026

Husky to Watch: Tarris Reed Jr.

Having begun his career at Michigan, Reed was destined to partake in this Final Four one way or another. With UConn having lost a good bit of its length (i.e., Samson Johnson, Liam McNeeley), he was destined to come up big for the Huskies somehow. But few, if any, could’ve envisioned the stranglehold that Reed has had upon this tournament: the senior could perhaps fill out his own “One Shining Moment” with the number of key moments he has posted in the first quartet, averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds (getting things started with 31 and 27 respectively against Furman). With Illinois bullying its way into the Final Four through the work of Mirkovic, Reed, using his 6’11, 265-lb. frame to the best of his ability, will play a big role in Saturday’s result.

Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler just went off for 25 in the Elite 8 to lead the Illini back to the Final Four for the first time since 2005 pic.twitter.com/TLPMvvd9Qp

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 29, 2026

Illini to Watch: Keaton Wagler

One of the biggest differences from the first meeting to this one is the emergence of Wagler, who was but a four-star freshman prospect in November. Wagler didn’t last much longer than a New York minute, playing only 14 while taking but three shots as things got out of hand. Whereas most teams have players that rise up and force them to expand the rotation (and, to the credit of junior forward Jake Davis, Champaign has enjoyed such an experience), the Illini have surprisingly shrunk to the point where Wagler has played four complete games this season.

Such efforts haven’t been necessary in the tournament, where Wagler has established himself as a strong floor general and enduring contributor, finding ways to work even when his shooting touch is off (such as grabbing 12 rebounds in the Sweet 16 defensive struggle against Houston). If there’s anyone who can put the “V” in MVP in this game, it’s most likely Wagler, who can cap off a fantastic freshman tour in style.

They Said It

“I think for us, the story was just that that game was a reflection on the season. It’s been a season where we’ve been dealt with injuries to key players at critical points of the year that we’ve had to overcome, and we’ve had to show a lot of fortitude and resilience and just kind of claw our way through the season … We fought, we clawed, put ourselves in position to take advantage of a mistake that they made and one of the most brilliant shooters you’ll ever see shoot a basketball made an incredible, legendary March shot.”—UConn head coach Dan Hurley on the Elite Eight win over Duke (h/t Kevin Connelly, College Basketball HQ on SI)

“There’s not much we did that I want to take over. We were awful. They were great … We’re both drastically different. I think Keaton touched the ball four times in the game. I got mad at [Mirkovic]. I think he played 16 minutes. Now, those two guys, I don’t want to take off the court. It was right after that game, we made the decision with Keaton, we were going to live or die with him and his decision-making and putting him on the ball … We were just a shell of ourselves.”—Illinois head coach Brad Underwood on the November meeting (h/t Big Ten Network)

Prediction

Few teams move around with more finesse and savvy than UConn. But at this point in the year, it’s the bullying, gritty groups that get things done in March, a concept the Huskies have embraced throughout their storied history. While the Huskies do have the prospects to create a brawl under the basket (with the very experienced Alex Karaban joining Reed), a full-strength Illini group is simply packed with them in the respective forms of Mirkovic, Andrei Stojakovic, and Ivisic brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir. With a matured backcourt general in Wagler backing them all, Illinois has the perfect recipe for revenge in the Indianapolis opener.