INDIANAPOLIS — The horn sounded, signaling UConn's return to the national championship game for the third time in four seasons. And freshman Braylon Mullins raised his arms in triumph, a huge smile on his face as he trotted over to join his celebrating Huskies teammates.
Not far away, Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler headed dejectedly to his bench, pulling his jersey over his face. He disappeared into the arms of consoling teammates, then emerged with his head covered by a towel as the handshake line formed.
Only one of the two fantastic freshmen could end the night in triumph, but both led their teams on a rough offensive night for the Huskies and the Illini in UConn's 71-62 win Saturday in the Final Four.
Mullins — the home-state hero who hit an incredible shot to send UConn to Indianapolis — got off to a fast start and finished with four 3-pointers and 15 points. Wagler, a second-team All-American, had a game-high 20 points to go with eight rebounds while the Illini never found the groove that had brought them to their first Final Four since 2005.
Both hit key 3s as UConn fought to maintain its tenuous late lead. And by the final horn, Mullins and Wagler had become the first opposing freshmen with at least 15 points in a Final Four game since 1982 — when a couple of kids named Michael Jordan (North Carolina) and Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) were squaring off for the national title.
Only Mullins will have a chance to add to his March run.
“We’re so ready for the national championship game,” Mullins said after exchanging an exuberant hug with coach Dan Hurley. “This is what I came here for. Let’s get it on Monday.”
Mullins is an Indiana star and the face of March Madness
Mullins was a prep star out of Greenfield, roughly 30 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium, the cavernous home of the Indianapolis Colts that hosted the Final Four. He was already the star of the week in Indianapolis after hitting the 3-pointer that capped UConn's stunning comeback from 19 points down to beat No. 1 overall tournament seed Duke in the Elite Eight last weekend.
This time, he faced an opponent that had elevated its defense to go with its season-long efficiency. The Illini allowed just 0.976 points per possession through four NCAA Tournament wins to lead the four remaining teams while leaning on their paint-controlling size advantage.
That only magnified the importance of Mullins, a 6-foot-6 wing who came armed with a fearless look — whether shaking off a second half full of misses or ending up on the floor after getting stuffed at the rim on a baseline drive before halftime.
He set the tone during the opening three minutes, when he knocked down his first two 3-point tries, the second after losing Jake Davis around a screen then backpedaling and clapping with a big grin. He even banked in a straightaway 3 for a 37-27 lead, prompting him to grin sheepishly and stick out his tongue.
“The shot clock was winding down and I was just trying to find a pick and pop,” Mullins told reporters huddled around his locker. “I knew when I saw that separation I was going to put it up. But I did not expect to hit glass. You’ve got to have a smile on your face when that happens because those shots do happen.”
He saved his biggest moment for the second half. Mullins was 0 for 5 since halftime when Illinois had trimmed a 14-point deficit to four. Alex Karaban missed a 3-pointer, but Silas Demary Jr. outfought Illinois’ Ben Humrichous for the rebound to set up Mullins’ 3 with 52.1 seconds left.
It was his only second-half basket as UConn shot just 28.6% after halftime in a rock fight of a game.
Wagler has raw emotions after loss
It was a harder night for Wagler, the former four-star recruit who rose to prominence this season as part of a stellar freshman class nationally. He finished 7 for 16 from the floor but went just 2 for 10 from 3-point range — he entered shooting 40.7% from behind the arc — on a night when Illinois shot just 33.9% overall.
“I felt like I was settled in, it was just my shot was off, which happens,” Wagler said. “So I was just trying to stay confident throughout the game and keep shooting them. I felt like I'm a good shooter so I kept shooting them.”
He came through with a big one to answer Mullins' late 3, hitting a step-back against Demary with 43.5 seconds left to keep Illinois within four. But he missed another one moments later, slapping his right thigh in frustration as it became clear the game was finally out of reach.
By the end of the night, he sat his locker with teammate Ty Rodgers' left arm wrapped around him.
“Every day when you go through something like this with a group for this long, and you love them, it's hard when it ends,” Wagler said, pausing to fight back tears as Rodgers patted him on the shoulder. “You know, when it ends, it's just sad.”
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