Share and Follow
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WCIA) – The Illinois men’s basketball team now has clarity on whom they’ll face in the Final Four showdown.
The Fighting Illini are set to clash with the second-seeded UConn Huskies on Saturday, April 4, during the national semifinals hosted in Indianapolis.
UConn secured their spot in the Final Four following a thrilling victory over Duke on Sunday. They edged out the Blue Devils with a nail-biting 73-72 win, thanks to a buzzer-beating three-pointer.
Earlier this season, the Illini and Huskies crossed paths in New York City, where Dan Hurley’s squad triumphed with a 74-61 victory.
Moreover, Illinois’s journey in the NCAA Tournament has been halted by UConn before. In the only other instance under coach Brad Underwood that Illinois progressed beyond the initial weekend, they were ousted by UConn in the 2024 Elite Eight with a decisive 77-52 scoreline.
Illinois and UConn will play for the right to move on to the National Championship game. The winner will advance to meet either Arizona or Michigan – both one seeds.
Illinois is 1-4 all-time against UConn, with the meetings in 2024 and 2025 being the only two times these programs played in the 21st century.
Illinois opens as a 2.5-point favorite against the Huskies, according to ESPN/DraftKings at the time of this article’s publishing.
Saturday’s game between Illinois and UConn is set to tip-off at 5:09 CT/6:09 ET.