One of the biggest games in the history of the Illinois basketball program is going to take place this Saturday.
The Illini get a third chance at UConn in the Brad Underwood era. The first two matchups didn’t go to plan, but this Illinois team is different. We can’t think about the past shortcomings and start focusing on the things we do well.
It will be an intense game, as Illinois fans want another chance at a national title that has been multiple decades in the making. Just two games stand between us and that big, beautiful trophy.
Here is the Illinois basketball vs UConn how to watch, series history, and players to watch in Final Four
- Illinois basketball vs UConn – How to watch
It has been a wild ride thus far, and it continues this Saturday, April 4. Illinois takes on UConn at 5:09 p.m. CT/6:09 p.m. ET. You can view this massive Final Four matchup on TBS, TNT, and TruTV.
- Illinois basketball vs UConn – Series history
This is one of the uglier series histories that I have mentioned this season. Illinois has fallen short of UConn more often than not, with the Huskies leading the historical series 4-1.
Illinois beat UConn back in 1938 by a score of 49-23 at Huff Gym. Since that mark, the Huskies have won four in a row. They beat us in 1992 and 1994. The last two matchups have been the ones that have stuck in Illini fan’s minds, though.
In 2024, Illinois met UConn in the Elite 8. It was a close game at halftime, but the Huskies took over in the final 20 minutes to win the game by 25 points.
Illinois’ revenge matchup didn’t go as planned this season. Back in November, we took on UConn in New York, but the Huskies controlled that game from the opening tipoff. They won by 13 points.
- Illinois basketball vs UConn – Players to watch
This is a very experienced UConn program with players who have played together for a couple of years now. That is always scary.
Alex Karaban is a terrifying big man. At 6-foot-8, he is fairly athletic, can play back-to-the-basket, and is a sharpshooter from three-point range. Karaban attempts 5.0 three-pointers per game and hits them at a clip of 38.6%.
I love Solo Ball as a guard, too. He is one of the best playmakers in the country, averaging 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. His three-point shooting and scoring in general haven’t been as good as it was last year, but he finds a way to make a positive impact on the team.
Illinois played more physical and traditional big-man basketball against Iowa. I think that needs to happen again. Dan Hurley knows how we play, and he will eat us up if we keep the status quo.
Use Tomislav Ivisic in the paint more. He was sensational with his little hook shot against the Hawkeyes. Let’s replicate that against the Huskies.
Andrej Stojakovic has been routinely putting up double-digit points in the NCAA tournament thus far. He only had three points in the first game against UConn. Getting him active and engaged early is going to be crucial.
Illinois is going to need some type of spark that no one is expecting. A quiet player this postseason is Jake Davis. He hasn’t done much in the way of stat-stuffing, but having him get going from three-point range is going to be important against UConn, too.