2 reasons Illinois has the advantage over UConn in Final Four showdown

2 reasons Illinois has the advantage over UConn in Final Four showdown appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Final Four is here and four of the best teams in college basketball are heading to Indianapolis to compete for a national championship. On one side of the bracket, the top seeds took care of business and now Arizona and Michigan will stage a heavyweight clash on Saturday night for a spot in the title game.

Advertisement

On the other side, top seeds Florida and Duke went by the wayside, clearing the path for UConn and Illinois to get to the Final Four. Dan Hurley and the Huskies are seeking their third national title in four seasons after taking down Furman, UCLA and Michigan State to get to the Elite Eight. In the regional final, UConn erased a 19-point deficit against Duke before Braylon Mullins gave it the East Region crown with a long 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 73-72 win.

Illinois didn’t have to take out Florida to get to the Final Four; Iowa took care of that in the upset of the tournament during the first weekend. However, Brad Underwood and company did have to beat No. 2 seed Houston, in Houston, in the Sweet 16 before taking down that red-hot Iowa squad in the Elite Eight.

UConn and Illinois is a rematch of a November non-conference game at Madison Square Garden, won by the Huskies 74-61. However, both teams have evolved since then, but especially Illinois. Most notably, star point guard Keaton Wagler is the main focal point of the operation for the Illini now after splitting time at that position earlier in the season.

Despite the loss earlier in the season, there are a few areas where the Illini should be able to get an edge in the rematch against UConn as they seek a spot in the national title game.

Advertisement

Illinois doesn’t turn the ball over

Not turning the basketball over is always important to winning big games, but it will be especially crucial in this kind of game. Illinois and UConn both…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2-reasons-illinois-advantage-over-044122567.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-04-02 04:41:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.