This year's Final Four features four high-quality teams and programs with varied histories of success in the National Semifinals. Make the jump to review the Final Four histories of the #3 Illinois Fighting Illini, #2 UCONN Huskies, #1 Michigan Wolverines and #1 Arizona Wildcats. 

The second national semifinal between the #1 Michigan Wolverines and the #1 Arizona Wildcats feels like a heavyweight fight that will last a full twelve rounds, or as Michigan Head Coach Dusty May said yesterday, "a game that is likely to be decided in the 38th or 39th minute." Make the jump to read my position by position comparisons and analysis as to what team has the edge during this epic Final Four showdown between Michigan and Arizona. 

Illinois and UCONN seem to be two evenly-matched teams heading into tomorrow's Final Four game. Could this game come down to the matchup at power forward between Illinois freshman David Mirkovic and UCONN senior Alex Karaban? Which player plays better could be the difference as to which team advances to the title game on Monday night. Make the jump to read my positional comparisons and analysis as to which team has the edge during this compelling Final Four game between the Illini Fighting Illini and the UCONN Huskies. 

The Final Four kicks off Saturday evening, with the respective champions of the South and East Regions, the #3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini and the #2 seed UCONN Huskies, set to play first. Way back on Friday, November 28, 2025 (Black Friday), Illinois and UCONN played at Madison Square Garden, with then #5 UCONN beating then #13 Illinois, 74-61. While a lot has changed for both teams since late November, I thought it would be interesting to rewatch that game and list some observations some four months later. Make the jump to read my observations of the Illinois and UCONN game from last November in anticipation of tomorrow's Final Four clash. 

After a 25-year drought, the Arizona Wildcats are back where they belong, in the Final Four. The Wildcats were once staples of the Final Four, making three appearances in eight seasons (1994, 1997 & 2001), with that 1997 team winning the school's first and only national championship where else but Indianapolis, the site of this year's National Semifinals. Make the jump to read about the Final Four run of the champions of the West Region, the Arizona Wildcats of the Big Twelve Conference. 

Since dominating the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas around Thanksgiving, the Michigan Wolverines have seemed like a wagon destined to appear in the Final Four. Not too much through the first four rounds has changed that opinion of the Wolverines, which arrive in Indianapolis as the title favorite. Make the jump to read more about the Final Four run of the champions of the Midwest Region, the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. 

Entering its third Final Four in the last four seasons, the #2 seed Connecticut Huskies proved to be "Beasts of the East," surviving the toughest bracket in the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a miracle three-pointer against Duke in the Elite Eight. Make the jump to learn more about the Final Four run of the champions of the East Region, the UCONN Huskies out of the Big East Conference. 

While entering the Final Four as the lowest seed remaining, the #3 Illinois Fighting Illini are playing its best basketball at the most important time of the season as it prepares to battle a recent Final Four mainstay, the #2 UCONN Huskies, in what figures to be a very competitive and even National Semifinal game. Make the jump to learn more about the Final Four run of the champions of the South Region, the Illinois Fighting Illini out of the Big Ten Conference. 

For the past two days, I have been writing about what this Final Four run by the 2025-2026 Fighting Illini means to me as an Illinois alum and a dedicated fan of the men's basketball program for nearly 30 years. After writing through the night, up until seven in the morning, and crafting 22 pages in a Word Document, here's what I have got for you. Make the jump to read my reflections on the Illini's improbable run to the Final Four in Indianapolis, where the mighty Connecticut Huskies are next. 

And then there were four! The Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is set, with #3 Illinois and #2 UCONN set to rematch a Black Friday game from earlier this season and #1 Michigan and #1 Arizona squaring off in what some pundits are saying is the "De Facto National Championship Game," though I wouldn't go that far with a Dan Hurley team still standing and an Illinois team believing it can win it all. While Illinois is the lowest seed remaining, UCONN is the most surprising team to reach Indianapolis, considering that the Huskies were down 19 points in the second half yesterday and needed an all-time blunder by Duke (HOLD THE BALL AND TAKE A FOUL!) to get off Braylon Mullins' miracle three. Ultimately, UCONN's improbable, gutty comeback makes this Final Four field feel much more balanced and difficult to predict, and sets up what should be two outstanding national semifinals on Saturday. Make the jump to see the tip times and read some initial observations about this year's Final Four.