Then four remained!
If you’re in the Bracket Challenge, Sammy has been keeping us updated on the progress as the tourney has gone along. What’s interesting is it looks like of the top 10 brackets, 7 have Arizona winning it all, one has UConn, one had Duke (sorry Nathan!), and Sammy picked Michigan. So the guy who set the challenge up could win it if Michigan beats Arizona tonight. In 19th place is the highest rated Illinois pick (bold choice in this fan group), so an outside shot but not out of the running.
These two games feature two teams who have clearly been at the top of the game all season long in Michigan and Arizona. The Wolverines are the top team in KenPom, EvanMiya, BartTorvik, but Arizona is tops in the AP Poll (and second in all those metrics). Michigan has the country’s best defense, while Arizona is #2. The Wolverines have the nation’s 5th best offense, Arizona is #4. This is an elite matchup, and both teams are relentless. I can’t wait for it.
The Illinois-UConn matchup is a little bit more hard to read. Neither team were picked by many to end up here, but the Illini are currently have the best offense, despite being pretty average shooting the ball. They’re elite at not turning the ball over, and making free throws, and they’re third in offensive rebounding. Defensively they’re not all that great, but they don’t foul much and try to make life difficult at the rim.
UConn is the lowest rated team in the Final Four, ranked 9th by KenPom and BartTorvik, and 7th by EvanMiya. They’re very good defensively, but they’re far from elite on offense. They are prone to turnovers however, and this is where it might get interesting. Illinois is THE WORST team in the country for forcing turnovers. Not bad at it… they are THE WORST D1 team in this category. It’s intriguing to say the least.
Either way it should be a fun set of games.
We have more Mizzou coverage coming today and tomorrow as there’s a lot going on. Stick around for that. In the meantime we’re only a few days from the transfer portal opening!
College Basketball Games to watch, April 4th and 6th, 2026
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