Three Keys & a Pick: No. 3 seed Illinois vs. No. 2 seed UConn

No. 3 seed Illinois (28-8) vs. No. 2 seed UConn (33-5)

Date & Time: April 4, 5:09 p.m. CT

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Ind.)

TV: TBS/TNT/TruTV (Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill & Tracy Wolfson)

QUICK HITS

• Illinois is making its sixth Final Four appearance in program history, third in the modern era (since 1975) and first since 2005.
• The Illini are coming off a 71-59 win over No. 9 seed Iowa in the Elite Eight on March 28.
• Illinois is fourth on KenPom, currently holding the No. 1 offensive efficiency rating in KenPom history (131.7), which dates back to 1997.  They are 20th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• With a win on Saturday, the Illini would match the third-most wins in a season in program history (29), tied with the 2023-2024 season.
• Illinois has a 50-36 all-time record in NCAA Tournament games. The Illini’s 50 wins rank 18th among all schools and second among schools yet to win a national championship, only trailing Purdue (53).
• The Illini are 1-4 all-time in Final Four games. Their six Final Four appearances are second-most among teams yet to win a national title, only trailing Houston (7).
• Illinois is 10-4 in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. They are 4-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament as the lower (worse) seed.
• Brad Underwood is 10-5 in the NCAA Tournament during his Illinois tenure and 12-9 in his career, making his first Final Four appearance in his 13th season as a Division I head coach.
• Illinois is 1-4 all-time against UConn. The Huskies defeated the Illini, 74-61 on Black Friday at Madison Square Garden earlier this season. In the 2024 Elite Eight, UConn beat Illinois, 77-52, which included a 30-0 run.
• Dan Hurley is in his eighth season as head coach at UConn and is making his third Final Four appearance. The Huskies are 198-74 under Hurley and won back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024. Hurley is 17-3 in the NCAA Tournament in his career.
• The Huskies defeated No. 1 seed Duke, 73-72, on Sunday in the Elite Eight after erasing a 19-point deficit. They beat No. 3 seed Michigan State, No. 7 seed UCLA and No. 15 seed Furman on their road to the Final Four.
• UConn is currently ninth on KenPom, ranking 27th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and ninth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• The Huskies finished in second place in the Big East with a 17-3 conference record. They are 2-2 against KenPom top-10 opponents and went 7-3 in Quad 1 games during the regular season.
• Illinois is a 1.5-point favorite in this matchup, which has an over/under of 139.5. The Illini are 22-14 against the spread this season.