Get to know the Final Four teams in the NCAA Tournament

NEW YORK — For the second season in a row, the Final Four does not feature a single Cinderella.

It’s likely a symptom of the NCAA’s name, image and likeness (NIL) and transfer-portal era, in which players possess unprecedented mobility and bigger-budgeted programs can poach the standouts from smaller schools.

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That’s not to say this year’s NCAA Tournament has been all chalk.

Top-seeded Duke was eliminated by UConn on Sunday night in buzzer-beating fashion. Florida, Houston and Iowa State were all upset, too.

That leaves 1-seed Arizona, 1-seed Michigan, 2-seed UConn and 3-seed Illinois as the last teams standing.

Here’s what you need to know before Arizona faces Michigan and UConn takes on llinois in Indianapolis:

Arizona

The Wildcats (36-2) emerged as the class of the loaded Big 12, surging to regular-season and conference-tournament championships over Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech.

And they did it with balance.

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Arizona owns the country’s fourth-most-efficient offense and second-most-efficient defense, according to the analytics website KenPom.

The Wildcats employ two potential lottery picks in freshman guard Brayden Burries (16.1 points per game) and freshman power forward Koa Peat (14.4 points, 5.5 rebounds), as well as a 7-2 center, Motiejus Krivas, who could go in the first round.

That’s not to mention senior guard Jaden Bradley — a native of Rochester, N.Y. — who is a third-team All-American.

“The most powerful thing in a team sport is a player-led program,” head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “The coach, you have to help them navigate it, but when you can get the players to own these moments, you are just so much better.”

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Arizona averages 42.6 rebounds per game, which ranks second among Division I teams, and it scores 14.9 fastbreak points per game.

Those strengths help the Wildcats overcome their lack of a 3-point presence. They shoot 36.7% from 3-point range, but on only 16.0 attempts per game.

Arizona…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/know-final-four-teams-ncaa-093000848.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-31 09:30:00

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