This time, UConn didn’t need a last-second miracle from Braylon Mullins.

A 3-pointer with 52 seconds on the clock did the trick.

The Huskies defeated Illinois 71-62 in the first semifinal of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Indianapolis and will play Michigan, who routed Arizona 91-73 in the second semifinal.

UConn will be seeking its third NCAA championship in four seasons on Monday night.

"You're set up for success at UConn," head coach Dan Hurley told sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game. "Geno Auriemma, Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie. Just some incredible coaches before me. Got the best staff in the country. Got an incredible group of players, and there's nothing like the bus ride on Monday night over to the stadium when you're one the last two teams standing."

It took a comeback from a 19-point deficit, an improbable steal and a 35-foot jumper from Mullins with time almost expired to beat No. 1 overall seed Duke last weekend in the Elite Eight.

But in this one, UConn (34-5), the No. 2 seed in the East Region, controlled much of the game against Illinois (28-9), the No. 3 seed in the South Region.

The Huskies scored first, with Mullins, from nearby Greenwood, Ind., draining a 3-pointer in front of his home crowd.

With Mullins and center Tarris Reed Jr. accounting for most of the scoring, UConn went up 18-9 at the 13:21 mark of the first half, but a 13-3 run gave the Illini a 22-21 lead after Tomislav Ivisic hit a 3-pointer with just less than eight minutes remaining in the half.

Scoring was at a premium the rest of the half, with UConn taking a 28-24 lead at halftime.

The Huskies took a 14-point lead – 57-43 – at about the halfway mark of the second half, but just like UConn did to Duke, the Illini started chipping away at the Huskies’ lead.

After the Illini’s standout freshman, Keaton Wagler, made a driving layup with 1:38 to go to cut the deficit to four, Alex Karaban missed a 3-pointer. Silas Demary Jr. got the rebound and fed the ball to Mullins, who hit his only shot of the second half to put the Huskies up 66-59.

Wagler followed with his own 3-pointer to return the deficit to four points, but the Illini couldn’t get any closer, needing to foul to stop the clock. In the final 36 seconds, the trio of Demary, Reed and Jayden Ross made 5 of 6 free throws to put the game away.

UConn made 15 of 17 free throws on the night.

Both teams played tight defense, with UConn shooting just 35.5% and Illinois 33.9% from the field. But the Huskies made 12 3-pointers – a team record for a Final Four game – compared to just six for the Illini.

Reed led the Huskies with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and made all five of his free-throw attempts. He added 11 rebounds.

Mullins had 15 points and Solo Ball scored 13. Ross scored seven points in 20 minutes off the bench.

Demary and Karaban had cold shooting nights – they were a combined 3 of 16 for 16 points, half from free throws. But both made big contributions, with Demary grabbing nine rebounds and adding a team-high seven assists. Karaban had four rebounds and four assists, and he created scoring opportunities for teammates as a defender ran around the court trailing the always-moving senior.

Wagler led Illinois with 20 points, with Ivisic adding 16 points and seven rebounds. Wagler and Andrej Stojakovic each scored eight points.

Mullins and Wagler joined elite company. They became the first freshmen from opposing teams to each score 15 points in a Final Four game since 1982.

Who did it then? Michael Jordan of North Carolina and Patrick Ewing of Georgetown, who met in the championship game. North Carolina won 63-62.

Hurley has told the story a few times in the past week that when he recruited Mullins, he told him the Huskies would play in Indianapolis this weekend in front of friends and family. Promise kept, and Mullins is beyond excited.

"We are so ready for the national championship game," he told Wolfson. "This is why I came here to play for and, man, let's get it on Monday."

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