Your men's Final Four guide: Illinois-UConn, Arizona-Michigan (with predictions!) - ESPN

The 2026 edition of the men's NCAA tournament has brought all the madness that makes March, including early-round upsets, buzzer-beaters and one shining moment (or a few).

The road ends in Indianapolis, where four top-three seeds will face off in Saturday's Final Four for a chance to advance to Monday's national championship game.

ESPN's college basketball reporters Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf have been following these teams all season. Here are the factors they see deciding UConn-Illinois and Arizona-Michigan.

6:09 p.m. ET, Saturday

How the Huskies reached the Final Four:

Round of 64: 82-71 vs. No. 15 Furman

Round of 32: 73-57 vs. No. 7 UCLA

Sweet 16: 67-63 vs. No. 3 Michigan State

Elite Eight: 73-72 vs. No. 1 Duke

No. 1 factor that helped UConn reach the Final Four: Tarris Reed Jr. and the experience to maintain the type of patience the Huskies needed to deal with a Duke team that had a 19-point lead in the first half has pushed them here. Three players in the starting rotation have been in coach Dan Hurley's system for at least two years, a rarity in the current landscape. Illinois will be the only team in Indianapolis that can match that.

Hurley is as great at recruiting as he is at retention. Freshman Braylon Mullins has had an up-and-down season, seemingly never hitting his stride consistently, but he was a five-star recruit for a reason. When Hurley turned to Mullins, he hit the biggest 3-pointer of his life with 0.4 seconds left to send UConn back to the Final Four.

The Huskies also held Duke to a clip of 100 points per 100 possessions in the second half after the Blue Devils had scored at 147 points per 100 possessions in the first half. UConn kept fighting and won.

Player who needs to step up: Solo Ball

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