Illinois fans are losing faith with Dan Hurley coaching circles around Brad Underwood

An up-and-down first half in the Final Four was not what Illinois fans were hoping for. The Fighting Illini came out extremely slow, and even though head coach Brad Underwood wanted to slow the game down, he probably didn't mean in the manner Illinois was playing.

Illinois is just 3-for-14 from beyond the arc and 10-for-29 from the floor, putting the Fighting Illini at a 37-29 halftime deficit. UConn was, on the other hand, 7-for-18 from beyond the arc and 14-for-34 from the floor anf it is clear that Dan Hurley was ready for this matchup, while Brad Underwood is floundering just a bit.

In the final seconds of the half, Illinois was able to take the last shot, and it was simply a jumbled mess, just like the majority of the offense had been for the first half. Fans are not happy with the way Underwood has his offense running, and they are certainly letting him hear it.

The ball has to move around more if Illinois wants to get something going offensively. This is not a good spot for the Fighting Illini to be, and they have always been at their best when they are playing team basketball, which means assists have got to be there.

It wasn't a good half for Underwood, and even sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson said the Illinois head coach was upset in the early timeout he called, telling his team they were not playing up to the level they had all March.

Illinois has to get set up offensively in order to put UConn on its heels in the second half. Hurley had executed his plan for this matchup while Underwood looked a little lost.

It doesn't all come down to Underwood; the players have to step up as well and make shots, but Underwood has to find a way to rally his team, or this game could get out of hand quickly in the second half.