Brad Underwood on Why Illinois Isn't the Same Team That Lost to UConn in November

"We're both drastically different," Underwood said of the Illini and Huskies since last they met – and he won't read much into that Illinois loss

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

It was obvious enough to anyone paying close enough attention during the season that Illinois (28-8) didn't begin to become ILLINOIS for weeks, and arguably months, after tipping off. Injuries kept certain players from coming fully online. Illness was an issue. And the Illini defense? Before March, it was little more than a glimmer in the eye of coordinator Cam Crocker.

Oh, and let's not forget that there was a time when Illinois' All-American straw that stirs the drink Keaton Wagler was just a skinny freshman playing off the ball and poking around to figure out how he could best make an impact. In fact, that change – which arrived fast and furiously – came just after the Illini faced upcoming Final Four opponent UConn in a regular-season matchup at New York's Madison Square Garden back in November.

My, how times have changed.

How Illinois has evolved since its regular-season loss to UConn

Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; UConn Huskies guard Solo Ball (1) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) fight for the ball in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Illinois coach Brad Underwood appeared on the Big Ten Network on Tuesday to dig into it, and when anchor Dave Revsine asked what the Illini could use from that defeat in prepping for Saturday's Final Four showdown with the Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (5:09 p.m. CT, TBS, TNT, TruTV), Underwood was characteristically glib:

"Well, there's not much that we did that I want to take forward," he said. "We were awful, and they were great. They had some issues, too. [Tarris] Reed was not the focus that he is now, Braylon Mullins was coming off an ankle injury. So we're both drastically different."

"We're both drastically different." @IlliniMBB's Brad Underwood on meeting UConn for the second time this season in the Final Four 👇#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/3mG9iFfyis

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 31, 2026

For the Illini, there have been the obvious changes. In Illinois' 74-61 loss to UConn on Nov. 28, Wagler got off just three shots in 14 minutes. "I think Keaton touched the ball four times in the game," Underwood said. Fellow freshman David Mirkovic – who ended the season on the Big Ten All-Freshman team – caught hell from his coach and played just 18 minutes. Key contributors Andrej Stojakovic (ankle) and Tomislav Ivisic (tonsillitis) probably shouldn't have suited up.

"Andrej, that was his second game back, and literally rewatching that game the other morning at about 5:30 in the morning, I couldn't believe I'd played him," Underwood said. "He had been out seven weeks, it was his second game back, and he had no clue what we were doing defensively.

"Tomi had been in a shootaround, and that was when he was finally cleared to play after 16 off days for having tonsillitis. So we were just a shell of ourselves."

After the loss, Illinois almost immediately hitched his wagon to the concept of Wagler working at lead guard and acting as CEO – top decision-maker – of the offense. Stojakovic rounded into shape and took to a super-sub role. Ivisic, who struggled with his shot and place in the offense for much of the season's second half, began seeing the ball go in during the tournament and suddenly found his footing as a paint defender. The Illini finally landed on the spacing and communication to effectively and consistently cover all areas of the floor – and even began extinguishing the kind of dynamic, penetrating guards that had torched them all season.

And as Underwood noted, these aren't the same Huskies, either. Reed is now UConn's lead dog, Mullins is a March Madness icon, and coach Dan Hurley – although still reliant on the same sort of motion and set-play brilliance he has come to be known for – has had to adjust in kind. It's all reflected in bookmakers' odds going into the game, which give a slight edge to the Illini.

"We're both drastically different," Underwood said, referring back to that Black Friday clash at MSG. "We'll not take a whole lot from it."