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On their way to a pair of national titles, and now a Final Four run in 2026, the UConn Huskies have embarrassed a lot of opponents in their last few seasons under Dan Hurley.
Flat-out dominance, especially during the back-to-back championships, almost became an expectation for UConn. In 2022-23, the Huskies went 31-8, winning the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed. But in 2023-24, they reached another level, losing just three games all season to win another title.
One of the many teams who struggled against UConn that season was Illinois, which lost to the Huskies in the 2024 Elite Eight. That game quickly became a blowout — including, at one point, a 30-0 run to steamroll through the Fighting Illini to a win.
Here's a look at the 30-0 run from UConn against Illinois in the 2024 Elite Eight.
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UConn and Illinois 2024 Elite Eight matchup
In the 2026 Final Four, UConn and Illinois will be meeting in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. The last time they met in the NCAA Tournament, the Illini stood in the way of Hurley's 2023-24 juggernaut squad and a Final Four appearance.
On Mar. 30, 2024, UConn and Illinois met at TD Garden in Boston for the Elite Eight, with the Huskies as the East Region's No. 1 seed and the Fighting Illini as the No. 3 seed. Illinois kept things close in the first half, trailing 28-23 at halftime, but the final score would not reflect that. UConn dominated the second half by 20 points, including a 30-0 run at one point, easily advancing to the Final Four with a 77-52 final score before going on to win it all.
Center Donovan Clingan led the way for UConn, scoring 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting with five blocks and three steals, while Cam Spencer had 12 rebounds and four other Huskies finished in double-figure scoring.
When UConn and Illinois met during the 2025-26 regular season, the Huskies also came out on top, 74-61.
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UConn 30-0 run vs. Illinois
The spark of UConn's blowout win over Illinois in the 2024 Elite Eight was a 30-0 run. It led to the Huskies claiming their 10th straight double-digit victory in March Madness, which is a record.
Between the end of the first half, then an unanswered 25-point run to begin the second half, the Huskies blew the game open with a 30-0 run.
During that run, Illinois:
- Missed 17 shots in a row
- Failed to score from the 1:49 mark of the first half, to the 12:41 mark of the second half
- Fell behind 53-23 after trailing by five at halftime
A Justin Harmon layup finally broke the drought, but all things considered, it was far to late for the Illini to stop the bleeding.
“It felt like no shots were going in. And it felt like they were getting out in transition and scoring every single time,” Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins said postgame, per ESPN. “You look up, and you’re still at 23.”
Per ESPN, on shots defended by Clingan in that game, Illinois shot 0-for-19.
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UConn vs. Illinois head-to-head history
It isn't often that the Huskies and Illini meet, but when they do, UConn has had the advantage. It leads the all-time series 4-1, including four-straight wins.
Illinois beat UConn in the first-ever matchup between the programs in December 1938, but since then, the Illini haven't beaten the Huskies. That includes the 2024 Elite Eight blowout, as well as UConn's most recent win in November 2025.
Here's a look at the history of UConn vs. Illinois matchups:
- Dec. 21, 1938: Illinois 39, UConn 23
- Jan. 4, 1992: UConn 70, Illinois 66
- Dec. 27, 1994: UConn 71, Illinois 56
- Mar. 30, 2024: UConn 77, Illinois 52
- Nov. 28, 2025: UConn 74, Illinois 61
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