Much of the attention in the lead-up to the 2026 Final Four has been on the No. 1 seeds, Michigan and Arizona, and on the recent dominance of UConn basketball under coach Dan Hurley and the dramatic way the No. 2-seeded Huskies reached the first weekend in April.
But through the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament, No. 3-seeded Illinois — in its first Final Four since 2005 — has looked just as capable of winning it all. The Illini possess elite size and length that has frustrated opponents offensively, and their lack of turnovers (5th lowest in the nation at 8.8 per game) combined with their balanced 3-point attack is difficult to stop.
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Illinois’ closest of its four tournament victories was a 10-point decision — 65-55 — against No. 2-seeded Houston in the Sweet Sixteen, a game played in Houston. The Illini held Iowa to 59 in the Elite Eight and VCU to 55 in the second round, and they erupted offensively for 105 in the first round against Penn.
A key contributor to the Illini’s versatility throughout the season has been senior Ben Humrichous. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward from Tipton, Indiana, has played in all 36 games for the Illini this season, averaging 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. He shoots 36.1% from the 3-point line and is tied for second on the team in made 3-pointers.
The State Farm Center loved this Ben Humrichous triple 🎯 @IlliniMBB
📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/MlUNXecy51
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 30, 2026
Humrichous has taken on a slightly reduced role in 2025-26 due to the influx of talented transfers, so he has only started two games this season after being a starter for much of last season. But the sharpshooter hasn’t elevated his personal preferences above the good of the team.
“I went to coach Brad (Underwood) and told him, ‘I want responsibility to help our team win.’ That’s what I wanted to do,” Humrichous told the media earlier this month about why he returned to Illinois. “And some of that was just having humility. It might be different than what you ever wanted, but I wanted to help this team win.”
Humrichous began his collegiate career in 2020 at Huntington University, an NAIA school in Huntington, Indiana, and then transferred to Division-I University of Evansville (Ind.) for the 2023-24 season. As his play continued to improve, he entered the transfer portal again, this time landing in Champaign ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.
Now, he has helped the Illini advance all the way to the Final Four, which will be held in Indianapolis, just about an hour’s drive south from his hometown.
“I give God all the glory,” he told WCIA in Champaign last weekend. “Finding a ton of freedom in the way that I’m playing again. It’s just fun, and I love that I get to do it with the guys that I get to do it with. So, I gotta give God glory for the gift that this is, and I just want to keep it going.”
Humrichous frequently mentions his faith publicly, such as in postgame interviews and on Instagram. He even had the opportunity to speak at a church in nearby Danville, Illinois, in February 2025. He is also very involved with the University of Illinois chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
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Humrichous’ foundation of faith begins with his family. He credits his father with instilling in him a love for Jesus, as well as a love for basketball, of course.
“He was somebody that always encouraged me, first in my faith in Christ, but also in the game of basketball,” Humrichous told WEHT in Evansville last week. “These are the gifts God has given us. … [My dad has] encouraged me to use those gifts for God’s glory. Basketball was one of those areas, and my relationship with Jesus Christ. If I didn’t have that, I wouldn’t have anything. It’s because of Christ that I’ve found freedom in things like basketball.
“My faith is No. 1. That’s what’s most important. That’s what’s going to drive everything in my life. It’s why I can play the game of basketball and just have fun. Because of Jesus, I’m set free from performance and expectation and failures.”
The 23-year-old has leveraged his platform as a Division-I athlete for good, starting an apparel brand called Prove God Right. And in a tribute video ahead of his Senior Day festivities with Illinois earlier this month, Humrichous made sure Illini fans knew how important his Christian community has been to him.
“The University of Illinois has been extremely special to me not only because of the basketball program but because of the community and because of the different things that I’ve been involved with, especially FCA,” he said. “Here through FCA, through the community, I met my wife, which is an incredible blessing: Adalia McKenzie, now Humrichous. … They’ve put their arm around me and Adalia as we’ve continued to grow in our relationship and grow as children of God.”
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Playing from a place of freedom in Christ, Humrichous can enter his final week as a college basketball player on the biggest stage in the sport, knowing that whether his journey ends in tears of joy or tears of disappointment, it has all been a good gift from God.
Humrichous and the Illini will take on UConn in Saturday’s first semifinal matchup from Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium at 6:09 p.m. ET.
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