Illinois basketball’s X-factor to beat UConn in Final Four tilt

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Every time the chips have been down throughout the 2025-2026 season, Brad Underwood has turned to star freshman Keaton Wagler to bail him out. Perhaps that is the case again, but if Illinois is going to beat UConn in its first Final Four appearance since 2005, it needs the help of two unlikely heroes — Andrej Stojakovic and David Mirkovic.

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No Final Four run comes easily, but Illinois has made it look that way thus far, winning each of its four regional games by double digits. The Illini had some help along the way, with Iowa stunning top-seeded Florida in the Round of 32, but they now find themselves just two wins away from one of the grittiest national championships in recent college basketball history.

Illinois enters the prestigious stage after a 71-59 win over Iowa in yet another dominant defensive performance. Wagler impressed with arguably his best game of the tournament, posting an efficient 25 points, his most in a single game in nearly two months.

Wagler is a projected NBA Draft lottery pick for a reason and has been the player who has led Illinois through thick and thin all season. But the Illini would not be blowing teams out without Stojakovic and Mirkovic, who have combined for 29.8 points and 14.0 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament.

Through all the talk of Illinois being the tallest team in college basketball and Wagler’s offensive prowess, Stojakovic and Mirkovic have led the most consistent supporting cast in the country to Underwood’s best season in Urbana-Champaign.

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David Mirkovic has been Illinois’ most consistent player

Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Illinois basketball fans would not have called David Mirkovic their most consistent player at the beginning of the season, but that is exactly what he has become at the end of his freshman campaign.

After ending the regular…

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Publish date : 2026-04-01 06:06:00

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