Men’s Final Four preview: Arizona vs. Michigan as good as it gets

Two dominant No. 1 seeds, the top coach this decade and arguably the best program never to have won a national title.

Welcome to the 2026 Final Four, which features a healthy chunk of compelling storylines.

The second-seeded UConn Huskies face the No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini to tip things off Saturday in Indianapolis before the Arizona Wildcats square off with the Michigan Wolverines in a battle of No. 1 seeds.

The winners lock horns in Monday’s national final.

Here’s a look at things to watch in Saturday’s semifinal showdowns:

UConn vs. Illinois

Can Hurley do it again?

After guiding UConn to back-to-back titles in 2023 and ’24, coach Dan Hurley’s Huskies lost by two to eventual champion Florida in last year’s second round.

Hurley has his team back on the cusp of a title this year, with the Huskies rebounding wonderfully after a blowout loss to St. John’s in the Big East final.

The intense Hurley was better known as being Bobby Hurley’s brother as he slowly made his way up the coaching ladder at Wagner and Rhode Island. Dan Hurley got the UConn job in 2018 and has now gone to six consecutive national championship tournaments.

No team has won three national championships in four years since the legendary John Wooden and UCLA captured the trophy from 1967-1973 and 1975.

UConn is tied for third overall with six national titles.

Mullins magic

UConn guard Braylon Mullins hit one of the best shots in NCAA history when he drained a 35-footer after a Duke turnover with 0.4 seconds left in their Elite Eight matchup, giving the Huskies a stunning win over the top-ranked team in the nation.

Mullins scored just two points in 10 minutes in a 74-61 UConn win over Illinois in late November at Madison Square Garden, but he promises to spend far more time in the spotlight this time around.

All five UConn starters, including Mullins, average double figures in scoring. Centre Tarris Reid Jr. leads the way with 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds.

Illinois craves elusive title

Illinois is going to its sixth Final Four, but has never left with the title.

A Deron Williams-led squad came closest in 2005, losing to North Carolina in the final.

Brad Underwood has led Illinois back to contender status since taking over in 2017 after a long dry spell for the program.

International flavour

Four of Illinois’ top six scorers were born in Europe, including second-leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic (son of Peja) and top rebounder David Mirkovic.

Seven-foot-one centre Tomislav Ivisic and his seven-foot-two brother Zvonimir Ivisic also play key roles for an Illinois team that ranks 10th in the country in rebounding.

Last year, Canadian Will Riley played his freshman season for Illinois before the native of Kitchener, Ont., was taken 21st overall by the Utah Jazz in the NBA Draft and then traded to the Washington Wizards.

Freshman star

Illinois’ Keaton Wagler was named Big Ten freshman of the year after averaging 17.9 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 40.7 per cent from three-point range.

The six-foot-six point guard is listed in the top 10 in most NBA mock drafts.

Wagler had a tourney-best 25 points last week in his team’s Elite Eight win over Iowa.

Doubling up

UConn is the only school to have won the men’s and women’s basketball titles in the same year, performing the feat in 2004 and ’14.

The Huskies have a chance to do it again this year with the women being the team to beat in their Final Four in Phoenix.

Michigan vs. Arizona

Heavyweight tilt

These two teams have looked like the top squads in the country in recent weeks.

Arizona beat reigning national runner-up Houston in the Big 12 tournament final before winning four NCAA tournament games by 12 points or more. The Wildcats’ average margin of victory is 20.5 points.

The 15-point Elite Eight win over Purdue came against a Boilermakers team that knocked off Michigan in the Big Ten tournament final. The Wildcats carry a 13-game win streak into Indy.

Michigan has been even more dominant than Arizona in the NCAA tournament, with its smallest margin of victory being 13 against Alabama in the Sweet 16 while carrying an average margin at 22.5.

The Wolverines throttled Tennessee 95-62 in the Elite Eight.

Big threats

Both teams tend to dominate close to the basket on both ends of the floor.

The action inside the paint should be fantastic.

Michigan will have to be at its best on defence against Arizona’s star freshman trio of Ivan Kharchenkov, Koa Peat and Brayden Burries.

Arizona’s seven-foot-two Lithuanian centre Motiejus Krivas figures to battle Michigan’s seven-foot-three centre from Spain, Aday Mara.

The Wolverines also can go inside-outside, with Michigan ninth in the country in three-pointers made.

Star power

Each team has a conference player of the year.

For Arizona, it’s senior guard Jaden Bradley. For Michigan, it’s senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg.

The latter averaged 15.2 points and seven rebounds per game while shooting 52 per cent from the field. Bradley was at 13.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest.

The coaches

Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd got the job in 2021 after two decades as an assistant at Gonzaga.

Lloyd has taken Arizona to the NCAA tournament every year on the job. He’ll look to lead Arizona to its second national title in program history — 29 years after coach Lute Olson and star point guard Mike Bibby emerged victorious against Kentucky in overtime in Indianapolis.

Michigan’s Dusty May took over the Wolverines program last year after it had fallen on hard times under Juwan Howard.

May took Michigan to the Sweet 16 in his first season. Previously, he famously led upstart Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2022-23.

Michigan’s lone national title came in 1989.

Big Ten drought

The Big Ten makes up 50 per cent of the Final Four field this year with Michigan and Illinois.

Could this be the year the conference finally wins another national title?

Tom Izzo’s 1999-2000 Michigan State team, featuring Morris Peterson, Jason Richardson and Mateen Cleaves, was the last Big Ten squad to celebrate winning the last game of the season.

The conference has captured the last three football championships (Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan), so there’s pressure on the hoopsters to return the Big Ten to its previous winning ways.

Hoops and pucks

Michigan can become the first school to win the men’s basketball and hockey national titles in the same year.

The Wolverines hockey team enters next week’s Frozen Four in Las Vegas as the top squad in the country.

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