Shockwaves at the Final Four: How UConn’s Unthinkable Strategy Toppled Illinois in 2026
The Illini play soft perimeter defense, pack the paint to clean the glass, try to avoid fouling, and as a result, they give up plenty of threes. Now, the Huskies are an average 3-point shooting team. But they’re shooting just 29.0% from three in the NCAA Tournament.
Between positive shooting regression and the way Illinois chooses to defend, there’s a pretty strong case that UConn is due for a bounce-back performance from long range on Saturday. If that happens, Illinois is in real trouble.
My last, and maybe strongest, pro-UConn angle is starting C Tarris Reed. If Connecticut wins another national title, Reed will earn the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player award. He is averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament, and outplayed Duke All-American big Cameron Boozer in the Elite Eight.Â



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