Illinois falls to UConn 71-62 in NCAA men's Final Four

CBS/AP - Illinois' dreams of appearing in the NCAA title game came to an end Saturday night with a loss to UConn 71-62 in the Final Four.

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.

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.

The Illini held a tight defense against UConn and managed to shrink the Huskies' lead to 6 points with seven minutes left on the clock in the second half. 

Freshman Keaton Wagler had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Illini (28-9), who reached their first Final Four since losing the championship game to North Carolina in 2005. In the last two minutes of the second, Wagler scored twice for the Illini to keep it a close game, but UConn managed to maintain a 9-point lead.

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. They now seek their third championship under coach Hurley in four seasons as they take on Michigan in the NCAA national title game on Monday.