For 20 minutes, Illinois played defending champion UConn better — and closer — than any of Huskies’ previous three NCAA Tournament opponents. The Illini trotted into the locker room trailing just 28-23. Then, it happened — UConn scored the first 25 points of the second half over a 7 minute, 41-second span, part of a 30-0 run that cratered the Illini’s hopes reaching their first Final Four since 2005.
UConn freshmen guards Ashlynn Shade and KK Arnold haven't received the accolades given to some of their peers across the country, but the pair have had a big impact for their injury-riddled team in this year's NCAA Tournament. Shade, a sharpshooter from Indiana, has put up 45 points for the No. 3 seeded Huskies in their first two tournament games, while Arnold, a playmaker and lockdown defender from Wisconsin, hit the key 3-pointer that propelled Connecticut to its 72-64 win over Syracuse on Monday night. Instead, injuries that have sidelined six Huskies, including starting guards Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme, have forced Arnold and Shade into the lineup.