Hurley shines' UConn beats Illinois 71-62 in Final Four, will play for third national title in 4 years.

INDIANAPOLIS — Behind another dominant NCAA Tournament performance from Tarris Reed Jr., Connecticut pushed past Illinois 71–62 in the Final Four on Saturday night, sending the defending champs back to the national championship game.

The No. 3 Huskies will face Michigan on Monday night after the Wolverines’ blowout win over Arizona in the second semifinal.

Reed delivered his third double-double of the tournament, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds while anchoring a UConn defense that made Illinois work for every look. Freshman guard Braylon Mullins added 15 points — including three first-half threes — while Silas Demary Jr. filled the stat sheet with 5 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

Illinois was led by Keaton Wagler, who posted a game-high 20 points and 8 rebounds. Tomislav Ivicic added 16 in the loss.

UConn controlled the first half behind the Reed-Mullins two-man game, taking a 37–29 lead at the break. Mullins, who hit a buzzer-beating three to stun Duke in the Elite Eight, picked up where he left off by going 3-for-5 from deep in the opening period.

Illinois stayed in striking distance early thanks to Wagler’s 10 first-half points and 6 boards, but the Illini struggled to keep pace from the perimeter. The teams combined for just 10-of-32 from beyond the arc in a defensive-minded first half.

The Huskies pushed their lead to 13 points at 49–36 early in the second half, but foul trouble opened the door for an Illinois surge. The Illini pulled within 57–53 with five minutes left before UConn steadied itself with an 8–3 response highlighted by a corner three from Jaylin Stewart.

Illinois made one final push when Wagler cut the deficit to 63–59 with 1:39 to play, but Mullins delivered the dagger — a clutch wing three that pushed the Huskies ahead 66–59 with 52 seconds remaining. UConn sealed the win at the free throw line, going 5-of-6 in the final 37 seconds.

With the victory, UConn now advances to its third national title game in four years and continues its pursuit of a seventh national championship, which would move the Huskies past Duke and into third all-time behind only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8).

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