By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS — UConn got another critical 3-pointer from Braylon Mullins and coach Dan Hurley’s Huskies are heading back to the national title game, beating Illinois 71-62 in the Final Four on Saturday night as they seek their third championship in four seasons.
Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while the fabulous freshman Mullins scored 15 for the Huskies (34-5), who rode strong inside play and tough defense to their 19th straight victory in the Sweet 16 or later rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
UConn will face Arizona or Michigan on Monday night as it seeks its seventh title, all since 1999, and third under Hurley, who would become the only active coach with more than two.
Mullins, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer sent the Huskies past Duke and into the Final Four, hit a catch-and-shoot 3 with 52 seconds left — his only basket of the second half — to give UConn a 66-59 lead.
Freshman Keaton Wagler had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Fighting Illini (28-9), who reached their first Final Four since losing the championship game to North Carolina in 2005.
Wagler and Mullins became the first pair of freshmen to top 15 points in a Final Four game since Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing in 1982.
UConn’s Alex Karaban had nine points on 1-of-8 shooting while adding four rebounds and four assists. He’s trying to become the first player since John Wooden’s dominant UCLA teams in the 1960s and 1970s to finish his career as a three-time champion. He also tied Hurley’s brother, Bobby, for second on the career list with 18 March Madness victories.
The Huskies haven’t lost a tournament game played past the opening weekend since 2009, when they fell in the national semifinals to Michigan State. With one more victory, they would break a tie with North Carolina and move into third place alone in national titles, trailing only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (eight).
