The Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is almost upon us, and No. 2 UConn will face No. 3 Illinois at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. Both teams have some injury concerns ahead of the game, and we have the latest on which players will be out.
The Huskies will be full of confidence after eliminating Duke in the Elite Eight. Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini swept past the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16 before ending the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes’ Cinderella run in the last round.
Latest Illinois and UConn Injury Updates for the Final Four
Illinois will be without a few players on Saturday. Ty Rodgers is sidelined with a torn patellar tendon, while Jason Jakstys has been dealing with blood clots. Meanwhile, Toni Bilic is away from the team as he continues his development.
UConn currently has no injury concerns, but it will be interesting to see if Jaylin Stewart is under a minutes restriction after playing just 5 minutes off the bench against Duke. The forward spent more than a month on the sidelines with a knee injury, but made his return by playing 3 minutes against MSU in the Sweet 16.
Stewart was a key part of the UConn rotation before his injury, so head coach Dan Hurley hopes to have him back to full fitness for the Final Four and, if they reach the championship game, on Monday.
Silas Demary Jr. also recently made his return from an ankle injury for UConn, but played 23 minutes against Duke, scoring 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He also registered 2 assists and 5 rebounds as the Huskies pulled off a stunning comeback win.
Tarris Reed Jr. is coming off a 26-point performance against Duke and will be determined to lead UConn to the championship game. During March Madness, he’s averaging 21.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and a steal while shooting 60.0% from the field.
Spearheading the charge for the Fighting Illini will be Keaton Wagler, who is averaging 17.9 points and 4.3 assists per game this year. He was the star of the show for Illinois against Iowa, scoring 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Illinois has a 28-8 record this year.
This could be a close matchup between two quality teams, although the Huskies will be the slight favorites owing to their deep roster, multiple scoring options, and experience. The Huskies have an overall win-loss record of 33-5 this season.
Tipoff is at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, and fans can watch the live action on TBS (with broadcast options on TNT and truTV as well).
