Final Four preview: Comeback Connecticut clashes with Inspired Illinois before Arizona and Michigan’s heavyweight bout for a spot in the title game

It’s a four-word phrase that is impossible to avoid or ignore in the streets of Indianapolis. On billboards, on street signs, on the giant windows at Lucas Oil Stadium – it reads as a half-promise and a half-threat.

‘The Road Ends Here’ – for three teams, that’s certainly true. For one, eternal glory awaits along with the forever title of ‘national champion.’

The crowds have already gathered in the Hoosier State ahead of what should be a blockbuster Final Four. In a repeat of 2024, all four teams represented are ‘Power Five’ teams. Three of the four have won national titles.

It should pave the way for an entertaining show. The lowest seed here is the closest thing to a ‘home team’ you could ask for. They’ll play a team who put up a monumental comeback to reach their third Final Four in four years.

After that? A matchup that has all the makings of the game of the year when the two most efficient teams in the nation face off for a spot in the title game.

The stage is set, the teams are ready. This is the Daily Mail’s preview of the 2026 Final Four.

Illinois (3-seed, South Region)

Only 120 miles separates Indianapolis from the college towns of Urbana and Champaign. As a result, the University of Illinois is expected to be the best represented team in the audience on Saturday night.

It’d be hard to truly turn Lucas Oil Stadium into the State Farm Center, but the Fighting Illini faithful will try their hardest as they’ve returned to this stage for the first time in 21 years.

Their last trip to the Final Four ended in title game heartbreak as Illinois fell to North Carolina in the second season under legendary head coach Roy Williams.

Let’s start with the positives. Illinois is the tallest team in the country. They’re also the most efficient offense in the country and won every game in March Madness by at least ten points.

They’re led by freshman star Keaton Wagler, a projected top-10 NBA pick with elite scoring and distributing.

Outside that, the names read off like this is the Yugoslavia national team from the 1980s. Andrej Stojakovic – the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic – is just as lethal a deep threat as his father. Beside him is guard Mihailo Petrovic. Down low there’s twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic – who both stand over seven feet tall – and forward David Mirkovic rounds things out.

There’s also plenty of experience from seniors Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous to make the Illini a true threat for a title. 

The only downside is that they have the worst defensive efficiency of every team left in the tournament. It is only at 20th in the nation, but their inability to force turnovers and tendency to foul could harm them in either of their final two potential games.

UConn (2-seed, East Region)

UConn was dead. Dead in the water. Down 19 in the first half to generationally hated Duke, the Huskies seemed to have no chance of sniffing Indianapolis.

But Connecticut came back. They forced the issue, held Duke to horrific scoring in the second half and knocked down a buzzer beater to reach this stage for the third time in four seasons.

The last two times they got this far, UConn won national titles. A third would cement a dynasty in Storrs and force the conversation about whether the school in a cow town is home to the greatest basketball program in the sport.

Connecticut put up the strongest non-conference schedule in the nation, beating all but Arizona before the Big East schedule opened and the Huskies hit a few massive road bumps. By coach Dan Hurley’s own admission, ‘Our floor this year at times has been low. Our ceiling as a team has been really, really high.’

They’ve hit that high ceiling in the tournament. Center Tarris Reed Jr is having a career defining run in March where his stats compare to the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Larry Bird and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Program icon Alex Karaban has been primed for a final run through college basketball. Shooting guard Solo Ball has battled through some cold shooting to strong performances while transfer point man Silas Demary Jr is overcoming an ankle injury and playing like it doesn’t affect him.

Then, of course, there’s Braylon Mullins. Born half an hour away, the guard is ‘Back Home Again in Indiana’ thanks to a miracle shot that has eternally cemented himself in March Madness lore.

Much like Ball, Mullins has struggled with his shooting. They both will need to shake that cold form from deep (the two combined to go 8-for-45 in the tournament so far) if the Huskies have any hope of raising a seventh banner.

Arizona (1-seed, West Region)

For all their status as a basketball powerhouse brings them, the University of Arizona has not truly shown it.

The Wildcats haven’t reached a Final Four in 25 years – last reaching the national championship game in Minnesota before losing to one of the greatest Duke teams in history.

History’s a funny thing. Arizona’s only basketball title came in 1997 when a team led by Mike Bibby and Jason Terry won it all. They just so happened to do so right here in Indianapolis, albeit, in the old Hoosier Dome.

To get here, coach Tommy Lloyd formed perhaps the greatest unit he has ever built in Tucson.

Arizona is an interesting balance of promising athletic freshmen and sizable seniors that have them entering as the least blemished team in the tournament. Guard Brayden Burries and forward Koa Peat have impressed and are projected first round picks despite only being in college for one year. Sharp shooter Ivan Karchenkov has used his length to great effect.

In terms of experience, senior Jaden Bradley has often been a late game threat, wing Anthony Dell’Orso needs attention beyond the arc and junior Motiejus Krivas has bullied teams down low.

They are as strong offensively as they have been defensively. At times, they have more than proven that they have the chance to be the best team in the nation.

But if there’s any problem facing the Wildcats, it’s that they do not choose to shoot the ball from deep. The only teams who shoot fewer triples than them are Texas State and Tarleton State. If Arizona falls into a hole, that lack of schemed looks from beyond the arc could cost them.

Michigan (1-seed, Midwest Region)

They’re tall, they’re physical, they’re the best defense in the country and have a top-5 offense to boot. Michigan is legit.

Other Michigan teams were legit too. The ‘Fab Five’ teams in 1992 and 1993 were strong, but they lost to Duke and North Carolina respectively.

The 2013 team was legit. They then lost to a Louisville team that would be stripped of the title over four years later. 

2018’s team was also legit, but ran into a buzzsaw Villanova team that started four future NBA players and had Donte DiVincenzo coming off the bench.

But this Michigan team is nothing like those other teams. What they lack in the Fab Five’s flash, they make up for with efficiency. Some scary good efficiency at that. While Dusty May’s team typically rolls with eight guys, their starting five has maybe been the most consistent all year long.

There’s height at the center position in the form of 7-foot-3 Spaniard Aday Mara. Joining him in the front court is underrated sophomore Morez Johnson and National Player of the Year contender Yaxel Lendeborg. Guard Elliot Cadeau looks entirely different from the player that struggled at UNC. 

Senior Nimari Burnett has been a consistent contributor off the bench. Freshman Trey McKinney has also been good and now takes a bigger role after starting guard LJ Cason was ruled out for the rest of the year with an injury before March Madness started.

Cason’s injury is one of the biggest issues the Wolverines face. That, and their inability to protect the ball. But if Michigan can protect the ball, they have every chance in the world to win a second title.

PREDICTIONS

With fairness to Illinois, it’s slightly easier to make a prediction about their matchup with UConn because the Huskies already played them and won.

In a Black Friday matchup at Madison Square Garden, Connecticut beat the Illini by 13 while Reed and Mullins were both on minutes restrictions. Having both of them healthier will likely lead to an offensive boost, even though it’s not likely Illinois will shoot as bad as the 32 percent they did in November. 

Both teams have improved since that game. But considering the result when UConn didn’t have as much health, it’s easier to predict a Connecticut win again.

The second game is virtually impossible to predict. Two of the tallest and most physical teams in the nation will meet in Indianapolis for what has the makings of the best game of the entire season.

If there’s anything that sets the teams apart, it’s this. Michigan is sixth nationally in effective field goal percentage. Arizona is 35th. Michigan plays at a faster tempo offensively (14th) than Arizona (50th). But what really sets them apart is that Michigan slows teams down (311th in average defensive possession length) much better than their counterparts (55th). 

Expect this to be a down-to-the-wire contest. There might even be a buzzer beater. But if there’s a hair’s-width advantage to be found, hand it to Michigan.