How Illinois Reached the Final Four: Turning Points and Breakout Stars

For Illinois fans, the 2026 NCAA Tournament has been a joyous – albeit anxiety-inducing – ride for the ages. The best part? It’s still not over. The Illini, who are set for a Final Four matchup with UConn on Saturday (5:09 p.m. CT, TBS), aren’t just alive, they’re thriving.

Here are five things to know about Illinois’ 2026 run thus far:

How Illinois reached the Final Four: What fueled the run

Andrej Stojakovic averaging 15 points off the bench in the NCAA Tournament

Despite playing in a reserve role during March Madness, Andrej Stojakovic has played 20-plus minutes in each of Illinois' games in the NCAA Tournament, including 26 or more in the past three contests.

Stojakovic put together a personal 9-0 run to spark Illinois at the end of the first half against VCU (which gave the Illini a seven-point halftime lead), before carrying another heavy load in the first 20 minutes against Houston (scoring nine of Illinois’ 24 in that frame). Then, he went 7-for-9 en route to 17 points against Iowa in the Elite Eight.

Andrej Stojakovic off the bench to send Illinois to the Sweet 16:

21 PTS | 7-12 FG | 26 MINS pic.twitter.com/fXbI4Z5ekf
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 22, 2026

In the tournament, Stojakovic has shot 22-for-37 (59.5 percent) from the field to average 15.0 points, while playing superb defense on the other end.

The Illini’s generous path to the Final Four

Dame Sar — Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood celebrates after cutting down the net after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in 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

Based on opponents’ seed numbers, Illinois had the “easiest” route to the Final Four of any squad despite being the lowest seed (highest number) remaining. No. 1 seeds often have the most generous path to the Final Four – a reward for their exceptional campaigns heading into the tournament – yet the Illini, who have faced three teams seeded No. 9 or lower, have seemingly had the least bumpy road. (Their matchups added up to a combined seed total of 36. Michigan's number was second-highest, at 35.)

Notably, though, Houston was the top No. 2 seed in the field, and was viewed by many as a legitimate title contender. Also, the Illini can only play who gets put in front of them, and they have knocked off every team by double digits. All that considered, in its next matchup Illinois will likely be tested in ways it hasn’t yet been challenged.

Keaton Wagler named South Region Most Outstanding Player

Illinois’ Keaton Wagler earned All-Big Ten first-team honors along with All-American second-team honors for his outstanding play in the regular season. But how would he hold up on the biggest stage – one that often eats freshman guards alive?

The answer, at least through four games, is "spectacularly well." Wagler's 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists (against just 1.5 turnovers) in the 2026 NCAA Tournament thus far earned him the title of South Region Most Outstanding Player, beating out notable stars such as Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort and Houston’s Kingston Flemings, among others. (Stojakovic and Illini forward David Mirkovic joined Wagler on the South All-Region Team.)

South All-Region Team 👇

🟠 Keaton Wagler (Most Outstanding Player)
🟠 David Mirkovic
🟠 Andrej Stojakovic
🐤 Bennett Stirtz
🌽 Pryce Sandfort#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/AbH5gHUZPM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

Illinois battle-tested by Big Ten

The Big Ten sent six teams to the Sweet 16 and four to the Elite Eight, and two remain standing in the Final Four (Illinois is joined by Michigan). The league's collective showing represents perhaps the best single-season NCAA Tournament performance from a conference since the turn of the century.

The Illini, who suffered six of their eight losses against conference foes, were tested in league play and, evidently, have reaped the benefits – to the tune of four straight March Madness victories, including an impressive Sweet 16 win over Houston, which finished second in a rock-solid Big 12.

Ben Humrichous scoreless domination against Iowa

Ben Humrichous on Saturday in Illinois’ Elite Eight win over Iowa: zero points on 0-for-2 shooting in 20 minutes. The only number that wasn’t a donut in his stat line: four rebounds. Oh, not to mention his plus/minus, which was a sparkling plus-16.

Although some of that was a direct result of the teammates surrounding him during his minutes (he and Stojakovic shared the floor quite a bit), it was also a byproduct of yet another quietly spectacular defensive effort on his part.

The 6-foot-9 forward Humrichous spent some time on Stirtz, drew matchups with Iowa wings and was capable of switching on to the Hawkeyes’ bigs if necessary. Humrichous has had praise heaped on him by his coach all season – Brad Underwood has dubbed him one of the nation’s top role players – and he once again lived up to that sky-high expectation in the Elite Eight.