Men’s March Madness 2026: Ranking the final four teams

The four teams that remained were viewed as national title contenders before the season – but only if everything came together. There was no guarantee – only Yukon Was ranked in the top four of the AP preseason poll. michigan (seventh), Arizona (13th) and Illinois (17th) were all outside the top five.

Still, they are all going to Indianapolis because they have all proven that they are the best in a particular category associated with their race.

If this were an awards show, Arizona would win the honor of “Most Balanced Team”. The Wildcats are top-10 in offensive and defensive efficiency. In Saturday’s Elite Eight win over Purdue, eight Wildcats scored.

Michigan would win the “Best Defense” award. Led by a frontcourt featuring three 6-foot-9 standouts and a 7-3 center, the Wolverines currently rank first in adjusted defensive efficiency. In Sunday’s Elite Eight win over Tennessee, they outscored the Vols by 23 points in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

Illinois would take home the “Best Offensive Engine” award. The Illini have been No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency for most of the season. He has made 59% of his shots inside the arc since March 1.

Connecticut would earn “Best Coach” honors. At one point in the first half of Sunday’s Elite Eight win over Duke, Dan Hurley’s Huskies missed 13 of 15 shots. Nevertheless, they bounced back in the second, giving Hurley a chance to make history as the first coach since John Wooden to win three national titles in four years.

The bottom line is that every team had to fight to get here on the final weekend of the season. There is no debate on that. They all deserve this shot at history.

all time eastern

1. michigan wolverines
Original seeds: No. 1 (Midwest)
Tournament Results: Garland. No. 16 Howard 101-80 (First Round); Defeated. No. 9 St. Louis 95-72 (Round of 32); Defeated. No. 4 Alabama 90-77 (Sweet 16); Defeated. No. 6 Tennessee 95-62 (Elite Eight)

The Wolverines believe they may be the best team in Michigan history – but they have to win against Arizona on Saturday to even be in contention, as they have some serious competition:

• Topping the list is the 1998–89 team that won the school’s only national championship. That group was led by future NBA All-Star Glen Rice.

• Then there’s the 1964–65 team, which lost in the national title game – which featured Cazzie Russell, widely viewed as the greatest player in school history.

• The 1975–76 team featured All-American Ricky Green and three other future NBA players when it lost in the national title game.

• And, of course, there are the Fab Five teams that reached national championship games in both 1992 and 1993. Leading those two groups were three future NBA standouts – Chris Webber, Juwan Howard and Jalen Rose.

• Trey Burke was national player of the year when he led Michigan to the national title game in 2013.

But this 2026 group has Yaxel LendeborgJoe finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Sunday’s Elite Eight win over Tennessee and is one of three NBA prospects on the roster. These Wolverines have the talent to win everything.

Dusty May may have also made a case for leading the greatest coaching effort in school history. Those other prestigious Michigan teams have had ample time to build those rosters. May didn’t even know last March who would play for him this season – four of his starting players were at other schools at the time. But, less than a year later, here he is, making the final four. So, yes, this team is making a case for being one of Michigan’s greatest teams. But May – who is in the Final Four for the second time in three years – may, one day, be considered one of its greatest coaches.

next: vs. Arizona (Saturday, after Illinois-UConn, TBS/truTV/HBO Max)

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Brayden Burries’ spirited play hinders Arizona’s Elite Eight win

Braden Burries dives onto the floor and passes the ball to Ivan Kharchenkov for a layup to help send the Wildcats to the Final Four.

2. Arizona Wildcats
Original seeds: No. 1 (West)
Tournament Results: Garland. No. 16 Long Island 92-58 (First Round); Defeated. No. 9 Utah State 78-66 (Round of 32); Defeated. No. 4 Arkansas 109-88 (Sweet 16); Defeated. No. 2 Purdue 79-64 (Elite Eight)

It may be best to discuss Arizona’s dominance under Tommy Lloyd not in the context of where it is now or where it could go — this race will do nothing to quell the North Carolina coaching rumors. No, it would be better to look at what he left at Gonzaga when he took over.

Lloyd was Mark Few’s top assistant when the Zags went to the Final Four in 2021. Not only did he turn Gonzaga into a respected powerhouse, but he also made the Bulldogs the premier program on the West Coast. Lloyd has now wrested that title from his former mentor with these Wildcats.

Over the past five years, the Few have won 143 games. Over that same period, Arizona has won 148 times under Lloyd – and that’s consecutive.

How did he do it? That’s not the case with 3-point shooting: Only 26.4% of the team’s field goal attempts this season have come from deep – 363rd out of 365 teams. Lloyd is old school. He has assembled a team that is loaded with talent, including a projected first-round draft selection motijus crevas, brayden burys And koa peat. They have Big 12 player of the year, jaden bradley. They also have a supporting cast that no other team remaining in this tournament can match.

Lloyd’s philosophy is simple. The Wildcats play great defense – they ranked first in adjusted defensive efficiency on Sunday – and they challenge opponents to beat them. And they believe their top eight players are better than any opponent’s top eight players, no matter what style they play. In this way he is confident that his team can win. And so far, he’s been right.

next: vs. Michigan (Saturday, (Saturday, after Illinois-UConn, TBS/truTV/HBO Max)

3. yukon huskies
Original seeds: No. 2 (East)
Tournament Results: Garland. No. 15 Furman 82-71 (First Round); Defeated. No. 7 UCLA 73-57 (Round of 32); Defeated. No. 3 Michigan State 67-63 (Sweet 16); Defeated. No. 1 Duke 73-72 (Elite Eight)

can make a statue of dan hurley alex karban — who hit a 3-pointer that cut UConn’s lead to one and then assisted Braylon Mullins A game-winning 3-on-3 win over Duke in Sunday’s Elite Eight — itself if the school doesn’t do it. carbon guarded cameron boozer During Sunday’s game, while taris reed jr. The Huskies dominated in the paint as a team that was down by 19 points came back to win in the final seconds.

It’s no secret that Hurley doesn’t have a roster that can match the talent other teams have on the field. Michigan has three projected first-round picks and they are all veterans. Arizona has more depth than anyone else – and also three projected picks in the first round. Illinois’ smallest starter is 6-2 kylan boswellWhile 6-5 guard Keaton Wagler Might be the best player remaining on the field.

Although Hurley has turned to the transfer portal over the past two years to build his roster, he has a consistency that is rare at this level. Three Huskies starters have played at least two years in Hurley’s system. Illinois is the only other team in the Final Four that can make the same claim. The difference is, neither team in Indianapolis has Karaban, or the experience to win at the highest level — remember, he’s a holdover from a UConn squad that won back-to-back national titles in 2023 and 2024. No other team in the field has a player who knows what it takes to win a national title. On Sunday against Duke, the Huskies may not have been a more talented group, but their experience gave them an edge against a team loaded with freshmen that looked to be falling apart after squandering a big lead.

Karban, who averaged 22 points in three NCAA Tournament games, was not good. But it didn’t have to be that way. His contribution was the peace that comes from playing games exactly like this. In Indianapolis, he’ll be in a league of his own.

next: vs. Illinois (Saturday, 6:09 p.m., TBS/TruTV/HBO Max)

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Andrej Stojakovic’s late and-1 helps send Illinois to the Final Four

Andrej Stojakovic drove to the paint and scored an and-1 bucket, allowing Illinois to defeat Iowa and reach the Final Four for the first time in 21 years.

4. illinois fighting illini
Original seeds: No. 3 (South)
Tournament Results: Garland. No. 14 Penn 105-70 (1st round); Defeated. No. 11 VCU 76-55 (Round of 32); Defeated. No. 2 Houston 65-55 (Sweet 16); Defeated. No. 9 Iowa 71-59 (Elite Eight)

Brad Underwood’s roster consists of players from five different countries: Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, and the United States. The international flavor has been in the news this season, along with Underwood’s freshman pursuit Keaton WaglerWho did not receive a scholarship offer from his home state school of Kansas, but is now striving for a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft after an amazing season. Tomislav Ivicic The 7-foot-1 force is in the paint. Andrej Stojakovic Is a two-way threat who helped Coral’s Iowa star Bennett Sturtz In Saturday’s Elite Eight win. David Mirkovic Is a 6-9 forward who shot 40% from 3 in league play.

You would think that Underwood’s success with international players would encourage the belief that any coach could go to Europe and recruit elite talent. Correct?

Wrong. There aren’t gyms in Europe that are full of elite players that college coaches can just walk in and recruit. Scouring the international scene for talent is laborious. And that’s only half the battle. Because Underwood’s real strength isn’t his ability to spot international stars. Rather, it’s his ability to know where those players fit in his system. They’ve assembled a group that has had the best offense in America for most of this season and has also played in a top-25 defense for the past month. Their wins over Houston and Iowa in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament were a result of the size they used to protect the rim as well as the pressure they applied to the opposing backcourt.

Illinois is an unselfish team full of players who play their roles, and Underwood has them in the right positions. He knows Himself, and He knows His law. Most of all, he knows which players he needs to get the job done.

next: vs. UConn (Saturday, 6:09 p.m., TBS/TruTV/HBO Max)