Final Four predictions include shocking pick to win title

The 2026 NCAA Tournament has been the usual wild ride (Good lord, UConn, and you, Braylon Mullins), and now we’re down to the Final Four, sports fans.

No surprise there. But it is a bit jarring not to see Duke among the Regional winners. As you most definitely have heard, read, and seen and seen and see again, Dan Hurley’s Huskies delivered a doozy of a victory over the disbelieving Blue Devils.

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So, it’s Connecticut vs. Illinois to tip things off Saturday, April 4 (6:09 p.m. ET/3:09 p.m. PT, TBS/TNT/truTV/HBO Max), followed by the highly anticipated Michigan vs. Arizona showdown (8:49 p.m. ET/5:49 p.m. PT, TBS/TNT/truTV/HBO Max).

RELATED: Latest CBB stories, pundit analysis and more at The Big Lead

Many believe the winner of the potent nightcap — sans Boozers — will be the national champion. The Wolverines and Wildcats have certainly looked like the two best teams heading to the Final Four.

Michigan, which is seeking its second men’s basketball title in school history, hasn’t been tested through four games. The Wolverines’ average margin of victory is a whopping 22.5 points per game thus far.

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That, of course, will end Saturday night. In fact, even though Michigan is a slight favorite (-2 points, according to BetMGM) to beat Arizona …

Final Four: Bold prediction No. 1

… I believe the Wolverines will beat the Wildcats by double digits.

Say what, you say?

You read that right.

Arizona has been awesome all season. The ‘Cats go at least eight deep, they’re balanced, and play elite defense, just like Michigan.

But I think 3-point shooting will finally catch up with the Wildcats in the sense that they’ve hardly taken any all year. A mere 26.4% of the team’s field goal attempts this season have been from deep — 363rd out of 365 teams.

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Michigan will force them to fire from deep by bottling up the middle. Plus, I think the Wolverines have the better athletes overall, and they’ll be well-rested after their four tourney…

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Publish date : 2026-03-31 21:07:00

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