March Madness: Illinois falls to UConn in Final Four, ending Illini team's longest run in 21 years
· Yahoo Sports
The University of Illinois was knocked out of the NCAA men's basketball March Madness tournament Saturday in Indianapolis, ending the Fighting Illini team's longest run in 21 years.
UConn got another critical 3-pointer from Braylon Mullins and coach Dan Hurley's Huskies are heading back to the national title game, beating Illinois 71-62 in the Final Four on Saturday night as they seek their third championship in four seasons.
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Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while the fabulous freshman Mullins scored 15 for the Huskies (34-5), who rode strong inside play and tough defense to their 19th straight victory in the Sweet 16 or later rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
UConn will face Arizona or Michigan on Monday night as it seeks its seventh title, all since 1999, and third under Hurley, who would become the only active coach with more than two.
Mullins, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer sent the Huskies past Duke and into the Final Four, hit a 3 with 52 seconds left that gave UConn a 66-59 lead.
Freshman Keaton Wagler had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Fighting Illini (28-9), who reached their first Final Four since losing the championship game to North Carolina in 2005.
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Despite the heartbreaking loss for Illinois, Illini fans were making the most of watch parties earlier in the day Saturday.
The party started early for fans in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, former players, fans and students on campus in Champaign, Illinois said the anticipation was high.
With the Illini band and cheerleaders leading the way, the Fighting Illini nation at Lucas Oil Stadium was pumped up. While there might have been four schools there Saturday, Illinois was taking it over before the Final Four games began.
"It's like a home game. Everybody's wearing orange, and Indianapolis feels like Champaign to me," said Brad Lane with the Chicago Illini Club.
University of Illinois fans flooded Indianapolis for their Final Four March Madness game against UConn.
There seemed to be an endless line of orange-clad Illinois fans walking into pre-parties before the main event at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"We have by far the most amount of fans here from any team," said Matty Kramer with The Boardroom Podcast.
Tracy Abrams played and graduated in 2017.
"We never got to do this," Abrams said. "Just to be here supporting these guys, I'm with it. I'm all in!"
Marcus Griffin played and graduated in 2001.
"Just for all the players that came before," Griffin said. "This is all we ever wanted to see, wanted to see coach and the players get to a national championship."
Final Four March Madness watch parties were sold on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign.
The tradition on campus, after every win, is to gather at the Alma Mater statue outside of the Illini Union on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to celebrate. But after the loss, it was a different gathering, this time marking the team's historic run that hasn't been seen in more than 20 years.
It was a mix of emotions that played out in the Illini Union on campus.
"We're all like on a generational 20-year run, so I'm just really hyped for the entire game," U of I sophomore student Kush Bhardwha said.
Unfortunately, the Flying Illini basketball team didn't soar as these fans hoped.
"I think that our defensive was so strong, today," U of I alum Eva Sypsis said. "However, we were really not creating much ball movement on offense."
"They were not playing team ball. It was so much isolation," U of I alum Pierre Stephens said. "So much drive and dish. Not a lot of movement."
Despite the loss, the Illini fight song roared from the Alma Mater statue, where fans gathered to mark the team's historic run, instead of a win.
"Oh, it was so close! But, it was a great feeling," U of I freshman student Brian Zuckerman said. "Everyone was on the edge of their seat."
And for Illini fans in Chicago who couldn't make the roughly 140-mile trip to U of I, Weather Mark Tavern in the South Loop made for one of many hosts in the city.
Back on campus, many students ABC7 spoke to weren't even born yet the last time the team went to the Final Four. So now they're left waiting and hoping for another stellar run to the Final Four next year.
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There Illini Union watch party got underway Saturday afternoon prior to the start of the game, where eager fans had hoped for a win.
"It's history in the making, since 2005," U of I alum Dwayne Banks, Jr. said. "It's crazy, and it's crazy to see."
Students and alumni gathered in the Illini Union to witness the Fighting Illini basketball team's historic winning streak before it came to an end in the Final Four.
"Didn't really see this coming at the start of the tournament, but I mean, we've just been rolling," U of I sophomore student Vivin Anand said.
"It's just great to have an ongoing legacy of Illini just bleeding orange and blue with everybody," U of I class of 1989 alum Lori Nixon said.
"We're old enough that we've seen the Flying Illini in action. We had season tickets back in the day, and this is a big moment," U of I class of 1989 alum Bruce Nixon said.
For most students, they weren't even born the last time the team made it to the Final Four in 2005.
"It's something we've never seen before," U of I sophomore student Ayan Bhakta said. "We've been here for two years. There hasn't been a win, like the Elite Eight. And, we're just going to keep going."
The hype behind the team was palpable beyond campus, too. ABC7 saw lines stretching out of nearby bars, like Legends, where watch parties were sold out. At some places, it was $100 or more a ticket. And even then, a ticket did not guarantee a spot inside.
"We're trying to get in. So, we're at the end of the line, like you said, so hopefully we make it in there," U of I alum Giovanni Guzman said. "It's time to celebrate and make sure that we can, at least, enjoy a great game and make some history, too. Let's go! U of I, let's go!"
The Associated Press contribute to this report.