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INDIANAPOLIS — In its vast basketball history, Illinois<\/a> has teased winning a national title throughout the years.<\/p>\n The Fighting Illini’s Final Four appearance Saturday marked their sixth in program history, yet they remain without a national title in men’s basketball. Only Houston, with seven Final Four appearances, has more without a title.<\/p>\n And as 3-seed Illinois exited the NCAA tournament after a 71-62<\/a> loss to second-seeded UConn<\/a>, the tenor of the defeat matched the program’s tortured high-end history at this stage — achingly close yet not enough.<\/p>\n In a locker room filled with wet eyes and low voices, the consistent theme from Illinois players was the number of shots that danced on the rim but didn’t convert into points. The Illini shot just 6 for 26 from 3-point range, and the night was filled with shots that assistant coach Orlando Antigua called “toilet bowls” that swirled around and out of the rim.<\/p>\n