Final Four set — big margins
The men’s Final Four is Illinois, Michigan, Arizona and UConn, with semis Saturday April 4 and the title game Monday April 6 — Illinois is the low seed story to watch. Podcast analysis flags Michigan and Arizona as historically efficient (+20 net rating seasons) and says UConn can complete three titles in four years if they hold form. (usatoday.com) (cbssports.com)
Illinois is the only Final Four team seeded outside the 1–2 range — the Fighting Illini are a No. 3 seed — and they punched their ticket with a 71–59 Elite Eight win over Iowa. (ncaa.com) (fightingillini.com) Freshman Braylon Mullins drilled a 35‑foot, buzzer‑beating 3 with 0.4 seconds left to lift UConn to a 73–72 comeback victory over Duke after the Huskies trailed by 19 points. (espn.com) KenPom lists Michigan and Arizona with the nation’s two highest net ratings — Michigan +39.02 and Arizona +38.76 through the tournament — underscoring why analytics-driven previews labeled them historically efficient. (kenpom.com) Michigan reached the Final Four by routing Tennessee 95–62 in the Midwest regional final, with Yaxel Lendeborg scoring 27 points and Elliot Cadeau handing out 10 assists in the win. (espn.com) Arizona closed its West regional with a 79–64 victory over Purdue to reach its first Final Four since 2001, paced by freshman Koa Peat’s 20 points and Ivan Kharchenkov’s 18. (newsbreak.com) KenPom’s ratings place all four semifinalists among the country’s elite — Michigan (+39.02), Arizona (+38.76), Illinois (+34.41) and UConn (+29.11) — reflecting unusually high combined efficiency for a Final Four field. (kenpom.com)
