UConn survives Illinois
UConn held off Illinois 71–62 to reach the national championship, a tighter semifinal that hinged on a late Braylon Mullins 3 — Mullins had been scoreless in the second half until that dagger. (nytimes.com) (sports.yahoo.com) The win keeps UConn in the hunt for a third NCAA title in four seasons, a run the highlight reels and extended packages framed as another example of a program with repeatable tournament identity. (sports.yahoo.com) (youtube.com)
UConn beat Illinois 71–62 in the Final Four on Saturday to reach the national championship game. (espn.com) The game tilted on a single late swing. Braylon Mullins, who had been scoreless in the second half, curled off a screen and buried a three-pointer with 52 seconds left that pushed UConn’s lead to 66–59 and snuffed Illinois’s momentum. (sports.yahoo.com) (nbcchicago.com) For most of the night, UConn controlled the frame with interior play and crisp defense. Tarris Reed Jr. scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, anchoring UConn’s offense and helping it build the cushion it would need late. (espn.com) Mullins did his damage in fits. He finished with 15 points and hit 4 of 7 from long range, but his scoring mostly came early; after the break he went quiet until that decisive triple that turned a two-possession game into a de facto closeout. (espn.com) Illinois answered with a furious run in the second half that made the finish tense. The Illini put together a 10–0 spurt that pulled them back into contention, and freshman Keaton Wagler led the rally with 20 points and eight rebounds. Illinois cut the margin to four with 1:38 to play and again to four with a Wagler three with 38 seconds left, but could not complete the comeback. (fightingillini.com) After Mullins’s shot, UConn executed the simple plays that end high-stakes games: it took care of the ball, won the rebound scrums and converted free throws down the stretch. UConn shot 78 percent from the line on the night and committed just four turnovers, concessions that tightened Illinois’s margin for error. (espn.com) This win sends UConn back to the title game for the third time in four seasons, extending a pattern — the program’s recent postseason identity — that has turned clutch shooting and physical interior work into a repeatable formula. (sports.yahoo.com) UConn will face Michigan for the national championship on Monday, April 6, at Lucas Oil Stadium. (espn.com) (ncaa.com) The final concrete image: Mullins, the freshman who already owns a buzzer-beater in this tournament, lifted a 27‑foot arc on the touchline and watched it fall through the net with 52 seconds to play. That single, quiet moment decided the fate of a Final Four game. (nbcchicago.com)
