Column: Gritty Illinois effort ends with heartbreaking Final Four loss, a bitter finish to a delicious season
INDIANAPOLIS — It was almost as though time had stopped for Illinois six minutes into the second half of Saturday’s Final Four semifinal against UConn at Lucas Oil Stadium. Andrej Stojaković’s putback attempt rolled around the rim before coming to a dead stop on the back of the basket as everyone in the massive football stadium held their breath and waited for gravity to make a call. In or out?
Up or down? Make up your mind. Illinois rally falls short in 71-62 semifinal loss to UConn, ending Illini’s Final Four party early In the end, the ball eventually decided to come down off the rim and into the hands of UConn’s Alex Karaban, another in a series of missed opportunities for the Illini in a heartbreaking 71-62 loss.
It was a difficult end to a delicious season that gave Illinois fans a chance to realistically dream about a national championship. Once again the dream was deferred, though this year’s group showed it’s not far off. UConn, which survived Sunday on a legendary last-second 3-pointer by Braylon Mullins, played almost error-free the entire game, making no turnovers over until 6½ minutes into the second half and only four on the night.
Coach Dan Hurley’s team advanced to its third title game in four years, in search of the Huskies third national title in that span, and will play the winner of the late game between Michigan and Arizona. The Huskies took control from the start, gave the Illini a brief lead in the first half and took several body blows in the final minutes to stave off a collapse. Illinois made a late run after trailing by 14 with just less than 10 minutes left, and Keaton Wagler’s spinning layin cut the deficit to four with a minute-and-a-half left.
The crowd was mostly Illini fans, and the stadium was rocking in anticipation of a dramatic comeback, shades of the 2005 Elite Eight win over Arizona. Mullins answered with an arching 3, and Keaton did likewise on the next possession, making it look like the two precocious freshmen were playing a game of H-O-R-S-E in the driveway, ignoring their mother’s call to come in for dinner. But Silas Demary Jr.
Continue to the original source for the full article.