Why Illinois basketball will win 2026 NCAA Tournament

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Illinois basketball waited 21 years to redeem itself from the last Final Four appearance. The Illini would love to erase the memories of the 2005 National Championship game loss to North Carolina. Illinois plays a UConn team to open the round of four.

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These teams have met before with UConn claiming the 74-61 romp back in November.

The Huskies will test the Illini especially from deep. Braylon Mullins is a March Madness hero they’ll take seriously. Solo Ball and Silas Demary are two more capable of getting hot from 3-point range. UConn attacks first with Tarris Reed Jr., though, in taking advantage of his powerful 6-foot-11 frame down low.

Illinois feels like an underdog heading into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. They carry the most regular season losses among the remaining teams at eight.

Except the Illini are a 2.5-point favorite as of Wednesday per FanDuel Sportsbook. And they present these reasons why they’re capable of hoisting the title on Monday night.

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Illinois is deep up front

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Reed wears down opponents with his feet, shoulder power and aggressive finishes under the hoop.

Illinois and head coach Brad Underwood presents up to two frontcourt defenders who can counter Reed. And this two-headed monster are a pair of twins.

Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic take pride in protecting the rim. The latter brings five blocks in tow during NCAA Tournament play.

UConn is familiar with Zvonimir Ivisic. He swatted an astonishing five shots during the Nov. 28 meeting won by the Huskies. He and his brother are out for revenge.

Same with forward David Mirkovic, the Illini’s top front court scorer. Mirkovic hit 13.5 points per game this season, but got bottled to just eight points in that 74-61 loss. The native of Montenegro exploded early in the NCAA Tourney by dropping 29 points on Penn to start…

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Publish date : 2026-04-02 03:33:00

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