UConn men’s basketball looks to make run as underdog at Final Four, starting with Illinois Saturday

1 overall seed Duke – the longest odds of winning the title at +550, as of Friday afternoon on DraftKings. Michigan is the favorite at +170, followed by its Final Four opponent, Arizona, at +180, and the Illini, another long shot at +400. “We’re coming in there as an underdog in the event.

We’re not used to that,” said Hurley, who will always have a target on his back – and a chip on his shoulder – regardless of the team he puts on the floor. “We know the things that we have to do, the things that have caused us to not be the efficient team that we’ve wanted to be throughout the year, whether it’s been turnovers at the offensive end, not always being on the offensive glass, obviously some shooting struggles from 3,” he said. “But what doesn’t get measured when you’re dealing with teams and efficiencies, is the will, the fight, a team’s refusal to lose games.

That doesn’t get factored in, obviously, to the analytics. ” Saturday’s game against Illinois is projected as a coin flip, largely due to the emergence of All-American freshman guard Keaton Wagler, whose potential hadn’t yet been realized when the Huskies held him to just three points back in November. UConn men’s basketball meets Illinois for second time this season in Final Four: What is different now?

But UConn is a different team now, too. Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins were just shells of themselves in that matchup, both coming back from ankle injuries.