Rewatching Illinois-UConn Final Four Game

Illinois basketball was favored by 1.5 points against the UConn Huskies ahead of last year's Final Four matchup, but lost 71-62 after falling behind by eight points at halftime. 

So, what happened? 

After rewatching much of the game, I saw a Fighting Illini team that was probably just as talented or more talented than Dan Hurley's bunch. The difference came in the experience gap between the two teams, and a team-first approach molded through years of deep NCAA Tournament runs from the Huskies in recent years. 

UConn looked quicker to the punch on most plays and their ball movement was crisper, a Hurley special. The Huskies finished with 14 assists to three for the Fighting Illini, a stat I couldn't believe after re-watching the game. 

As Illinois heads into the 2026-27 season, a focus on taking care of the basketball and avoiding turnovers can work wonders. If I'm Brad Underwood, I'm taking the Norman Dale approach (from the classic basketball movie Hoosiers) and making each Illini player pass four times before shooting in every practice. 

Last year's two leading assist men, Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, are both gone, taking away over seven assists per game and leaving David Mirkovic as the leading returnee from that team with 2.6 assists per game.

Illinois won't beat unselfish, crisp passing teams like the UConn and Michigan teams from last year consistently without better passing skills and a more team focused approach. 

This is one major area to keep an eye on as training camp and the exhibition season begin.