Skip to main content
Writing Illini
Fansided

UConn curse on Illinois basketball looks to be deeper than first thought

Illinois basketball can't figure out UConn, and history shows we might be under the UConn curse
ByRees Woodcock|
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Coming into the Final Four, UConn was a scary team for the Illinois basketball program.

I always thought they were a team that I didn’t want the Illini to play. I had UConn and Houston as two of the programs that we needed to avoid.

What is crazy is that the NCAA tournament set us up to play both programs. Illinois took care of business against the Cougars, but the Huskies were always a team to avoid because of the experience and talent throughout the roster.

Losing to UConn in the Final Four is brutal due to being a fan and the heartbreak of missing out on a national championship. But the issues with UConn go deeper than that. The UConn curse is alive and well, and it struck the Orange and Blue on Saturday night.

For some reason, Dan Hurley has Brad Underwood’s number. I think that is probably literal, and it is also figuratively speaking.

Hurley, for some reason, knows how to shut down Illinois. He can get his defense to go up another level against us, and the proof is in the pudding.

Illinois only scored 62 points in the Final Four against UConn. This total was the third-lowest for Illinois in a game over the last three seasons. What were the two lowest-scoring games in that three-season span?

On March 30, 2024, Illinois scored a whopping 52 points in the Elite Eight against, you guessed it, UConn. This was a heartbreaking 25-point thumping. This was the lowest-scoring total over the last three seasons.

What was No. 2 on this list? This season, on November 28, 2025, Illinois scored 61 points. What program held us to the second-lowest scoring total over the last three seasons? Yup, UConn.

So, this isn’t just a disappointing loss to the Huskies. UConn has held Illinois to the three lowest-scoring outputs for the program over the last three seasons.

Illinois basketball fell into the UConn trap in the Final Four, and we couldn’t get out

UConn has a special brand of basketball that just doesn’t jive with Illinois. We can’t figure out the Rubik’s Cube.

There is just something different about UConn when Illinois plays them. They can get us out of our game. For some reason, Illinois starts playing how the Huskies want us to play, and that gets us in trouble every time.

I mentioned it in earlier articles, but only having three assists is a wild stat. Illinois has a UConn curse, and my hope is that we never run into this team again in the NCAA tournament. Good riddance.

Home/Illinois Basketball