Illinois rally falls short in 71-62 semifinal loss to UConn, ending Illini’s Final Four party early

INDIANAPOLIS — Fans in orange and blue streamed through the streets of Indianapolis hours before Illinois’ national semifinal against Connecticut on Saturday and showed up early to Lucas Oil Stadium, an hour or so before tipoff. One half of the stadium was covered in orange, as were large patches of seats in the upper decks. A two-hour drive from Champaign and three-hour trip from Chicago probably helped.

So did the draw of the program’s first Final Four appearance in 21 years. It had all the makings of a special weekend in Indianapolis — until UConn spoiled the party early. The Huskies rattled the Illini on both ends of the floor for three-quarters of the game and led for all but a short stretch in the first half on the way to a 71-62 victory.

Connecticut will play for its third national championship in four years Monday against the winner of the Michigan-Arizona semifinal. The Huskies, six-time national champions, also won titles in 2023 and 2024. After trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, Illinois tried to mount a comeback, using a 10-0 run to cut UConn’s lead to four with 5 minutes, 2 seconds to play.

Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler’s layup with 1:38 to play also cut it to four. UConn freshman Braylon Mullins and Wagler traded 3-pointers in the final minute. But Silas Demary Jr.