Illinois rues missed shots after another Final Four loss - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — In its vast basketball history, Illinois has teased winning a national title throughout the years.

The Fighting Illini's Final Four appearance Saturday marked their sixth in program history, yet they remain without a national title in men's basketball. Only Houston, with seven Final Four appearances, has more without a title.

And as 3-seed Illinois exited the NCAA tournament after a 71-62 loss to second-seeded UConn, the tenor of the defeat matched the program's tortured high-end history at this stage — achingly close yet not enough.

In a locker room filled with wet eyes and low voices, the consistent theme from Illinois players was the number of shots that danced on the rim but didn't convert into points. The Illini shot just 6 for 26 from 3-point range, and the night was filled with shots that assistant coach Orlando Antigua called «toilet bowls» that swirled around and out of the rim.

«I've never seen that before,» Illinois senior Kylan Boswell said of the near misses. «I've never personally shot layups, and they bounce in and out like how they did today. But I mean, [stuff] just happens. Can't make excuses, but end-to-end today, they beat us.»

The Illini entered the game with the country's No. 2 most efficient offense, per KenPom.com. But they were anything but efficient. Along with its struggles from 3-point range, Illinois also shot just 13 for 30 from 2-point range.

«We fought, we fought, we fought, and had a very tough shooting night, especially at the rim,» Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. «We missed some shots that we normally don't miss. It's part of this game. The ball has to go in.»

The Illini played well defensively, holding the Huskies to just 35.5% shooting from the field. But Underwood