UConn vs. Illinois live updates: Latest score, highlights, analysis for Final Four
Saturday night, two teams will punch their tickets to the 2026 NCAA Tournament national championship. The slate of Final Four games begins with UConn vs. Illinois at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Huskies punched their ticket to Indianapolis with a thrilling victory over Duke in the Elite 8. Braylon Mullins hit a wild game-winner to finish off a furious comeback and propel UConn to victory. Meanwhile, in Houston, Illinois defeated Iowa in a battle of Big Ten teams to secure its spot in the Final Four for the first time since 2005.
On3 is tracking the showdown between Illinois and UConn with a spot in the national title game on the line. Follow along throughout the Final Four matchup.
Halftime: UConn 37, Illinois 29
04/04/2026 05:59:54 PM
UConn led by as many as 10 before heading into the locker room with a 37-29 lead over Illinois. Braylon Mullins led the way with 12 points while Tarris Reed had 11 to go with five rebounds. Keaton Wagler led the Fighting Illini with 10 points and six rebounds.
UConn ends scoring drought, jumps back in front
04/04/2026 05:52:12 PM
UConn ended its more than 5-minute scoring drought when Tarris Reed hit a jumper and the Huskies went back out in front, 28-24, over Illinois with 3:34 to play. Reed leads all scorers with 11 points, and the two teams combined for just one turnover through the first 17 minutes of action.
Tomislav Ivisic gives Illinois first lead
04/04/2026 05:43:37 PM
Thanks to a 7-0 run, Illinois took its first lead of the game, 22-21, on a Tomislav Ivisic three-pointer with 7:54 to play in the first half. The Fighting Illini outscored UConn 13-3 over 6:32 to jump out in front.
Illinois stops UConn run, still trails at U12
04/04/2026 05:31:49 PM
UConn forced an Illinois timeout after a 10-2 run, and the Fighting Illini were able to get back within three points at the under-12 media timeout. The Huskies held an 18-12 lead with 11:25 to go in the first half, led by seven early points from Tarris Reed and six from Braylon Mullins.
U16, 1H: UConn 10, Illinois 7
04/04/2026 05:19:29 PM
At the first media timeout of Saturday’s game, UConn maintained a 10-7 lead over Illinois. The Huskies started out 4-for-9 while the Fighting Illini went 2-for-6 out of the gate, but made all three free throws.
Tip-off
04/04/2026 05:11:09 PM
UConn wins the opening tip-off to get the first possession against Illinois. The 2026 Final Four is underway from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Injury updates
04/04/2026 04:53:14 PM
Neither team’s availability reports had any surprises ahead of the Final Four. Illinois will be without Ty Rodgers, Toni Bilic and Jason Jakstys, while UConn did not list anyone on its final availability report Saturday evening.
Pregame: UConn vs. Illinois
04/04/2026 04:40:40 PM
Ahead of tip-off, Illinois is a 1.5-point favorite against UConn, according to BetMGM. The over-under is also at 139.5.
Tip-off time: 6:09 p.m. ET
Channel: TBS/truTV
Announcers: Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery, Tracy Wolfson
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