The Final Four:

On Saturday, April 4th, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, Michigan will face Illinois, and Arizona will face UConn. With all four teams determined to secure a spot in the championship, the pressure is turned up for these college teams and their fans.

The NCAA March Madness tournament brings together families, friends, and even strangers from all over the country as they fill out their brackets. For players, it is a chance to prove to the world of sports that their team has worked hard. For fans and bracket-builders, though things don’t always go as planned, the madness sparks emotion, excitement, and unity in fanbases.

The University of Michigan (No.3):

The University of Michigan Wolverines compete in the Big 10 conference, and under the direction of head coach Dusty May, the team has dominated the bracket. They won the tournament in 1989 and are paving their way to win again in 2026.

How they got here:

Round 1: Michigan beat Howard 101-80, scoring over 100 points to open the tournament.

Round 2: They played No.9 Saint Louis, beating them 95-72, with key player Yaxel Lendeborg scoring an impressive 25 of their total points.

The Sweet Sixteen: Once again, they conquered their opponent, No.4 Alabama, defeating them 90-77. Lendeborg led the team, securing their spot in the Elite Eight.

The Elite Eight: A crushing 33-point victory against No. 6 Tennessee (95-62) came as a shock to many fans, but has sports analysts and reporters looking to a bright future for the Wolverines in the remaining rounds of the tournament. They are favored to win the entire tournament after the way they have played so far.

The University of Arizona (No.2):

The University of Arizona Wildcats compete in the Big 12 conference. Head coach Tommy Lloyd was named National Coach of the Year in 2022. After beating No.2 Houston in the Big 12 Championship, he has led his team to their fifth Final Four.

First round: Arizona crushed No.16 seed LIU (92-58) on March 20, 2026. They were led by Brayden Burries 18 points.

Second round: Jayden Bradley’s rebounding pushed the team to victory against No. 9 seed Utah State (78-66) on March 22, 2026.

Sweet 16: Although the Racerbacks put up a good fight, they couldn’t overcome Arizona’s outstanding 109-88 point game. Lead by Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, the team gave one of the best performances seen in the tournament so far.

Elite Eight: The Wildcats secured a spot in their first Final Four in 25 years by outscoring the Purdue Boilermakers 79-64. This win was led by Koa Peat (20 points) and Ivan Kharchenkov (18 points).

The University of Illinois (No.13):

The University of Illinois, “Fighting Illini” compete in the Big 10 conference, and are yet to win an NCAA tournament. They reached a close second in the 2005 championship against North Carolina. Now, with head coach Brad Underwood in his 9th season, they are making their way to the top once again.

First round:

The Fighting Illini conquered their first game in the tournament with a 105-70 win over No. 14 Penn. Key player David Mirkovic scored 27 points and had 17 rebounds.

Second round:

Though VCU took the lead late in the first half, Illinois responded by scoring 13-0 at the beginning of the second half. Standout player Andrej Stojakovic, who is the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, led the team to victory with his 21 points total.

Sweet Sixteen:

This game was described as a “rock fight” when Illinois used their defensive game to upset No. 2 Houston (65-55). They started with a 17-0 run in the second half, which is the longest run allowed by Houston while under head coach Kevin Sampson in eight seasons.

Elite Eight:

Led by freshman guard Keaton Wagler with a career high of 25 points, the Illini took down their Big Ten rival, No.9 Iowa. (71-59) This secured their first final four spot since 2005.

The University of Connecticut (No.7) :

The University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies are considered to be one of the top college basketball organizations, and have won six NCAA tournament championships over the past 30 years. In his 8th season, head coach Dan Hurley is taking his team to their eighth Final Four.

First Round:

Against No. 15 Furman, the Huskies won 82-71, and Tarris Reed Jr. became the first player in 58 years to record a 30-point, 25-rebound game in the tournament. Though Furman led by 11 in the second half, UConn pulled through and made their way to the second round.

Second Round:

Led by Alex Karaban’s 27 points (a career high), UConn beat No.7 UCLA 73-57.

Sweet Sixteen:

UConn led No.3 Michigan St. in the first half, but fell behind by one point with ten minutes left. Tarris Reed Jr. saved the day by hitting four consecutive free throws in the final minute, securing the win (67-63).

Elite Eight:

Up against No. 1 Duke, they were trailing behind the entire second half. Down by 2, an unbelievable 35-foot three-pointer thrown by Braylon Mullins with 0.4 seconds left on the clock saved the day, with the Huskies coming out with a win (73-72). This play came as a shock to many Blue Devil fans and will go down in March Madness history as one of the greatest comebacks of all time.