Just four teams remain in all of March Madness. They all head to Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend to play for a National Championship. But first, they must get through their Final Four opponent for a chance to cut down those coveted nets. Let’s dive into both games and make our March Madness Final Four picks.
Final Four action takes place Saturday evening with Illinois and UConn squaring off before Michigan and Arizona battle for No. 1 seed supremacy. The National Championship game will take place on Monday, April 6th, with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 PM ET.
*All times Eastern
No. 3 Illinois vs No. 2 UConn 6:09 PM
Illinois comes out of the strongest conference in the nation, a No. 3 seed out of the Big Ten. They left no doubt over the last two rounds, bullying their way to a Final Four berth for the first time since 2005. The Illini took down No. 2-seeded Houston before demolishing Big Ten foe Iowa in the Elite Eight.
UConn is no stranger to the Final Four; this is their third trip in the last four years under head coach Dan Hurley. Their path to the Final Four wasn’t so simple. They jumped up on Michigan State in the first half, but it was a close game down to the bitter end, with the Huskies pulling it off. Then in the Elite Eight, UConn was down 19 to the No. 1 overall-seeded Duke Blue Devils. Then, after climbing back into the game, the magic of March struck with just .4 seconds left in the game. Freshman Braylon Mullins launched a deep three, swoosh! UConn was headed to the Final Four.
These teams played in November, with UConn winning 75-61. They won by the same grit that they used to beat Duke. Out-rebounding, out-hustling, tough defense. But, it’s not November anymore, we’re into March (ok, April, but it’s still March Madness!). This Illinois team has found their rhythm, and it is going to be tough to beat. Clearly, you can’t ever count this Huskies team out. But the Illini have the size. They’ve been doing the dirty work on the boards, they’ve been putting teams away, and leaving them away. UConn showed the ability to come back, but also the ability to go down 19. It’ll come down to lockdown defense and out-powering the Huskies. Give me the Illini to win this one comfortably.
Pick: Illinois -1.5
No. 1 Michigan vs No. 1 Arizona 8:48 PM
On the other side of the bracket, the chalk made it through. Two elite No. 1 seeds in Michigan and Arizona earned their bids to the Final Four. Michigan last appeared in the Final Four in 2018 when it defeated Cinderella Loyola Chicago to head to the National Championship game. Like Big Ten foe Illinois, the Wolverines left no doubt through the last two rounds how good they were. They trailed to Alabama at halftime in the Sweet 16, but easily put the Crimson Tide away in the second half. Tennessee was no match for them in the Elite Eight, with Michigan winning by 33 points.
The Arizona Wildcats haven’t graced the Final Four since 2001. But they are finally back. The Big 12 tournament champions’ biggest struggle was Utah State in the Round of 32, and calling that a struggle is generous. It’s been smooth sailing for Tommy Lloyd’s crew. They easily tore apart the SEC champion Razorbacks in the Sweet 16, and the Big Ten champion Purdue Boilermakers had the lead at halftime of the Elite Eight. But at the end of the day, the Wildcats woke up and put the Boilermakers to bed easily.
Michigan has size, they are splashy, and they go on big runs. But Purdue showed everyone in the Big Ten Tournament how they can be beaten. Duke did it as well. Michigan will put up a fight; they’ll go hard and fast. But at the end of the day, this Arizona team is simply more well-rounded. They are methodical and a deeper team. Arizona is great at getting to the line and getting free throw attempts, wearing teams down. It’ll be a knockout drag-out fight, and we’re in for a good show. Give me the Wildcats in a close one.
Pick: Arizona +2
You can also find “Name the Finalists.” In which you can get Illinois bus Arizona at +260, about the same as it would be to parlay the two on the Moneyline. For “National Title Exact Result,” Arizona over Illinois pays +420, while Illinois over Arizona pays +1000. Sign me up to ride the Illini to the title!
