Washington Wizards
fromESPN.com
6 days agoKeaton Wagler leads Illinois to first Final Four in 21 years
Keaton Wagler's 25 points led Illinois to a 71-59 victory over Iowa, securing their first Final Four appearance in 21 years.
Through the first half of last season, Illinois looked like a legitimate Final Four contender. The Fighting Illini started 12-3, with wins over Wisconsin, Missouri, Oregon and Arkansas. But they would go 5-8 in their next 13 games, proving to be something of a paper tiger. In games against Quad 4 opponents, they had the best defensive rating in the country at CBB Analytics. In Quad 1 games, they were 82nd.