In case you’ve forgotten: When UConn and Illinois met 20 months ago in the Elite Eight, the Illini were tied with the eventual national champion late in the first half – and then the Huskies’ 30-0 run happened.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood came away from that game recognizing his program wasn’t ready to contend for a national title, so he has spent the past two offseasons trying to build a roster that erases the gap.
Underwood will get a mid-term grade on his perpetual project when No. 13 Illinois (6-1) faces No. 5 UConn (5-1) on Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York.
While these Huskies currently don’t resemble the group that dominated everyone on the way to the 2023 and 2024 national titles, head coach Dan Hurley suggests it might only be a matter of time.
Prized five-star freshman forward Braylon Mullins (ankle) has yet to play in a game and starting center Tarris Reed Jr. (ankle) has missed the past two games, but Mullins recently started to practice and both could be available Friday.
“I think when Braylon is back, you’re just going to see a cluster of probably eight or nine guys that are somewhere between seven and 15 (points per game),” Hurley said. “I think the strength of this team is going to be the numbers. That’s why I thought maybe it’d be shades of the ’24, ’23 team, just because of the depth. I think the depth of this team is the strength.”
Hurley already has seen hints of his current crew resembling the 2024 title-winning team. In UConn’s most recent game, a blowout of Bryant on Sunday, Georgia transfer Silas DeMary Jr. racked up 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals. That marked the program’s first triple-double since Tristen Newton notched two for the 2023-24 squad.
“The last time we had a guy who was getting triple-doubles, the season went great,” Hurley said. “Silas is going to get better. That’s what we need from him. We’ve been a dominant rebounding team up until last year – and a lot of that had to do with we had great guard rebounders. Cam Spencer was a great guard rebounder. Steph Castle was a great guard rebounder. Andre Jackson was a great guard rebounder. Tristen Newton was a great guard rebounder.”
It’s fair to expect a war on the glass because Illinois ranks third nationally in rebound margin at +16.7 per game. The Illini will be one of UConn’s few foes that’s just as big in the frontcourt, though the Big Ten’s top returning rebounder, 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivisic, still is rounding into shape after missing weeks with a tonsillectomy and a bone bruise affecting a knee.
Ivisic started Monday against UT Rio Grande Valley and contributed 10 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes. When he wasn’t on the floor, 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir Ivisic was, and he posted 10 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes.
“I think we had 20 points and 13 rebounds from he and Z,” said Underwood, missing by a smidge. “I’ll take that. Sign me up for that every night.”
What Underwood won’t sign up for is another collective effort like Illinois showed against UTRGV. The Illini won 87-73, but that wasn’t the point to Underwood.
“I thought it was a game where UTRGV played harder than us,” he said. “That doesn’t happen very often. That’s just not acceptable. So we had some conversations.”
What was the theme of those conversations?
“Care,” he said. “Give a damn about the defensive side.”
