What we learned following an exciting but revealing 2026 men's NCAA Tournament.
- Lynn Worthy | Post-Dispatch
President Trump decided to celebrate Final Four weekend with a decree that would restrict athletes rights to earn money, transfer.
- By MICHAEL MAROT - AP ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Writer
UConn got another critical 3-pointer from Braylon Mullins and coach Dan Hurley’s Huskies are heading back to the national title game. UConn beat Illinois 71-62 in the Final Four on Saturday night as the Huskies seek their third championship in four seasons. Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points and …
- By AARON BEARD - AP Basketball Writer
Freshmen Braylon Mullins of UConn and Keaton Wagler of Illinois led the way for their teams in the Final Four on Saturday. Mullins had 15 points and four 3-pointers in the Huskies' 71-62 win over the Illini. Wagler finished with a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Mullins and Wagler be…
- Andrew Carter | Chicago Tribune
Things are a bit complicated for Bill Murray at the Final Four, though he’s clear about his loyalties.
- Colleen Kane | Chicago Tribune
Illinois' Andrej Stojakovic is trying to forge his own path beyond his father’s legacy. He is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic.
- By MICHAEL MAROT - AP ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Writer
Illinois coach Brad Underwood doesn’t need any reminders about what happened the last two times his team faced UConn. He can just plug in the game tapes, rewind them and watch them again. Back in November, the Huskies led wire-to-wire in a 74-61 victory. Two years ago in the Elite Eight, UCo…
The Croatian twins’ reunion at Illinois after two seasons playing apart means the Illini can most always have a 7-footer on the court.
The NCAA is grappling with the blurred lines between amateur and professional sports. This debate is highlighted at the Final Four, where some players from Illinois and Arizona have pro experience in Europe. The NCAA is considering rule changes to address this, especially after two players returned to college after entering the NBA draft. The rise of name, image, and likeness payments has made college sports more lucrative, attracting international talent. Coaches and athletic directors acknowledge the evolving landscape, where college sports increasingly resemble a business.
Big men and bigger lineups have been standout factors for the teams that have reached the Final Four. Illinois is the nation's tallest team. Michigan, Arizona and UConn have joined them in Indianapolis. Those teams have the biggest average roster height of any Final Four quartet going back to the start of KenPom's data in 2007. UConn's 6-11 center Tarris Reed Jr. has been dominant through four tournament wins. Illinois' size starts with the 7-foot Ivisic twins. Michigan has 7-3 big man Aday Mara. Arizona can pair 7-2 junior Motiejus Krivas with 6-8 freshman Koa Peat up front.
UConn's Braylon Mullins finds it difficult to turn the page on his incredible shot at the Final Four
Everywhere UConn guard Braylon Mullins turned Sunday night and Monday, he kept seeing the same thing — his heroic 35-foot, game-winning 3-pointer to beat Duke initially. He couldn’t avoid it. Eventually, though, the freshman guard figured out he needed to turn off the television, tune it out and move on. He didn't even need two-time national championship-winning coach Dan Hurley. But as Mullins found out Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium, it won't be easy to leave behind a shot that will go down as one of the best in March Madness history.
Keaton Wagler’s high school basketball transcript contained everything a college coach could want in a recruit. Illinois’ 6-foot-6 sharp-shooting guard helped Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Kansas win its first two state titles, won a school record 80 games and finished among the top five on the school’s career lists for scoring, rebounds, assists and steals. Yet his seemingly sterling resume didn’t translate into the kind of buzz surrounding some flashier, more highly touted stars in this talented freshman class. Now, as this weekend’s Final Four beckons, Wagler suddenly finds himself squarely in the spotlight as one of college basketball’s top newcomers.
UConn couldn’t reach its ceiling without its senior center playing to his potential. Late this season, it finally clicked with Tarris Reed Jr. just how dominant he can be.
Those who believe college sports is losing its heart — being overtaken by money  —are not all wrong.  But the shot by UConn's Braylon Mullins that filled out the bracket for the Final Four reminded everyone that there’s some magic left in those nets. Quite a lot of it, in fact. The teams open practice at Lucas Oil Stadium in preparation for Saturday's games. The Huskies will play Illinois and Michigan will face Arizona, with the winners heading to Monday night's final.
Wagler and Mirkovic have been the beautiful revelations that have cemented this team as one of the best in Illinois history ahead of the national semifinal against Connecticut.
UConn is in the Final Four for the third time in four years. It is the first Final Four appearance for former Michigan transfer Tarris Reed Jr., who has been a dominant force in the first four NCAA Tournament games for the Huskies, and former Georgia guard Silas Demary Jr. The last time UConn won the national championship, that team also included two players (Cam Spencer and Hassan Diarra) who transferred in from power conferences. Reed and Demary are hoping for the same outcome. The Huskies face Illinois on Saturday in the semifinals.
Brad Underwood of Illinois coached for 26 years before landing his first Division I head coaching job. Now in Year 39, the well-traveled 62-year-old is finally heading to the Final Four, where the Fighting Illini meet UConn on Saturday. In the place he always wanted to be, Underwood has the Fighting Illini in the Final Four for the first time 2005. They're trying to bring home a first national title.
Josh Whitman, an Illinois alum who previously served as athletics director at Washington University in St. Louis, understands what the long wait has been like as much as anyone.
Michigan and Arizona boast elite efficiency metrics as the two No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four. They have two of the best ratings in KenPom's data going back to the 1996-97 season. They're joined by an Illinois team that has put together a strong defensive showing through four NCAA Tournament wins. The Illini allowed their opponents to core on just 41.2% of their possessions. UConn is also in the Final Four after a stunning comeback against top overall seed Duke.
The Final Four is set. Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will take on Arizona next Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the national title. The Arizona-Michigan game is a matchup of top seeds. UConn, after a 19-point comeback for a 73-72 win over Duke, is seeded second and will play No. 3 seed Illinois. Arizona is the early favorite to take the title next Monday night in Indianapolis, according to BetMGM ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵbook, followed closely by Michigan. The Huskies beat Duke with a 3-pointer from the logo with 0.4 seconds left by Braylon Mullins, who grew up just outside of Indianapolis.
In today’s 10 AM “Ten Hochman,†Ben Hochman discusses the Illini headed to the Final Four! And as always, Hochman picks a random Cards card out of the hat!
Arizona, Michigan, UConn and Illinois have reached the Final Four. The Wildcats and Wolverines got there as No. 1 seeds. The Huskies are a No. 2 seed. The Fighting Illini are a No. 3 seed. This is Arizona's first Final Four in a quarter-century since the days of late coach Lute Olson. Michigan has been humming on offense in four tournament games. UConn is in the Final Four for the third time in four seasons dating to the 2023 and 2024 title runs. Illinois is leading the remaining teams in rebounding margin and defensive shooting percentage.
Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 25 points and Illinois ended Iowa’s underdog March Madness run by dominating in the frontcourt, beating the Hawkeyes 71-59 to advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. This will be the sixth trip to the Final Four for Illinois, which has never won a national title. The Fighting Illinio will face either Duke or UConn next weekend in Indianapolis. The much taller Illini outrebounded Iowa 38-21 in the South Region final. David Mirkovic led the way with 12 rebounds. Wagler was named MVP of the region. Bennett Stirtz scored 24 points for the Hawkeyes, who made an impressive run under first-year coach Ben McCollum.
Though the stage keeps getting bigger, coach Ben McCollum continues to prove he’s a winner. McCollum and Iowa’s underdog March Madness run ended with a loss to Illinois on Saturday, but his success in his first season with the Hawkeyes proved he can win at any level. McCollum won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State before spending one season at Drake. He led the Bulldogs to the second round of the tournament before moving on to Iowa. The Hawkeyes were coming off a 17-16 season that cost longtime coach Fran McCaffrey his job, and McCollum revitalized the program.
A buzzer malfunction caused a delay — a very loud, very unpleasant delay — of about 10 minutes in the first half of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region final between Iowa and Illinois. When the buzzer sounded with 7:43 left in the first half, it kept blaring uninterrupted for about seven minutes. Players stood on the court ready to play for a couple of minutes before both teams started to warm up as the buzzer continued to sound. It was finally silenced, but then the main scoreboard and video screen that hangs over the middle of the court went dark. The game ultimately resumed with the big scoreboard still off.
Nimari Burnett is playing for a spot in the Final Four in his hometown. The 24-year-old Chicago native is a do-it-all guard for top-seeded Michigan. The Wolverines take on Tennessee Sunday at United Center. Burnett says he remembers going to the Chicago Bulls' home arena and cheering for Derrick Rose. He says “nothing tops†playing there in March Madness. Burnett could play a major role in the Elite Eight matchup with Tennessee. He will have at least some of the defensive responsibilities on high-scoring guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
Illinois is in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament thanks in large part to players recruited from Eastern Europe. Coach Brad Underwood’s third-seeded Illini meet Big Ten foe and No. 9 seed Iowa Thursday night in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region final with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Led by first-year coach Ben McCollum Iowa is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987. The Illini will try to end Iowa’s charmed March run with a roster that includes four players from Eastern Europe and Andrej Stojakovic, who was born in Greece, but whose father is Serbian three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic.
David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year’s national runner-up from the NCAA Tournament, beating Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals. Next up is a meeting Saturday with ninth-seeded Iowa to see which Big Ten team will advance to the Final Four. It will be the 11th Elite Eight appearance for Illinois and its second in three seasons under Brad Underwood. The second-seeded Cougars were thrilled to be playing a game just over two miles from their campus. But their poor shooting gave Houston fans little to cheer about.
The No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini and Iowa Hawkeyes square off in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Saturday's game will be the second meeting this season between the two teams. The Fighting Illini won the last matchup 75-69. Illinois is 15-6 against the Big Ten, and Iowa is 12-11 against the Big Ten.
Playing in the NCAA Tournament just two miles from campus, the stage was set for the Houston Cougars to have an advantage over Illinois. Problem was, they couldn’t get their shots to fall. Houston was limited to its lowest point total of the season in a 65-55 loss to Illinois in the South Region semifinals, a gut-wrenching ending for last year’s national runner-up. The Cougars struggled offensively as the team shot just 34%.
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