The opinion you never thought you would agree with for $1,000... ESPN's Stephen A. Smith jumped aboard Brad Underwood and the Illinois Fighting Illini's hype train ahead of their Final Four matchup against the UConn Huskies.
When Smith and the rest of First Take discussed the four remaining teams, he was quick to not only defend Illinois's chances in the semifinal game but also applaud the team for what it has accomplished so far, despite flying relatively under the radar all year.
"Illinois is a sleeping giant here; nobody's paying attention to them. They're in the Final Four! Illinois can play," Smith said.
Stephen A. Smith praises Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler
While talking about the fact that people have to stop ignoring the Fighting Illini as a serious contender for this year's National Championship, Smith even made sure to praise Illinois's star freshman, Keaton Wagler (despite mispronouncing his last name).
"By the way, y'all, that kid, [Keaton] Wagler, special, special, special," Smith said. "When you talk about people like Darius Acuff Jr., we looked at AJ Dybantsa... but have you seen this kid at Illinois? Special, that's all I'm gonna say."
Wagler, of course, has been a guiding force throughout the NCAA Tournament, despite it being the first collegiate postseason of his young career.
Stephen A Smith mispronounced Keaton Wagler's name but he hit the nail on the head when talking about Illinois pic.twitter.com/fkXyuwrsFY
— Armchair Illinois (@ArmchairIllini) April 2, 2026
With back-to-back double-digit performances in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, Wagler has looked like a genuine veteran on the court as he has led the Illini to their first appearance in the Final Four since 2005 (which was before he was even born).
In the Final Four, of course, Illinois has to face the perennial powerhouse UConn Huskies to advance to the National Championship, but even that matchup (which the Illini are favored in) couldn't slow down Smith from joining the bandwagon.
No. 3-seed Illinois and No. 2-seed UConn are scheduled to tip off at 5:09 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 4, in the first Final Four game of the day. The second semifinal matchup, between Michigan and Arizona, will tip off afterward.