Paul Sullivan: March Magic continues, setting up a Final Four field with eclectic coaches and intriguing matchups

CHICAGO — Workers were tearing down the court at the near-empty United Center late Sunday afternoon after Michigan’s win over Tennessee when a roar erupted from the nearby media workroom.

It was the same sound heard in bars, restaurants and living rooms across America after UConn freshman Braylon Mullins sank the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to stun top-seeded Duke in the East Region title game in Washington, D.C., a moment of madness that encapsulated the tournament that grabs us by the throat every March and refuses to let go.

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Writers at the U.C. stopped working on their game reports to watch the final seconds of the UConn-Duke game on laptops, and like everyone else, they were stunned at watching the most polarizing program in college sports let a spot in the Final Four slip through their hands.

For one shining moment, everyone was a UConn fan.

But that figures to change now that the Final Four field is in place and Michigan, Illinois, Arizona and UConn prepare for next weekend’s basketball smorgasbord in Indianapolis.

There’s no unlikable program in the bunch, and the four coaches — UConn’s Danny Hurley, Illinois’ Brad Underwood, Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Michigan’s Dusty May — have all overcome obstacles and doubters to get to this point.

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The semifinal matchups are as good as it gets, with Michigan a 1 1/2-point favorite over Arizona and Illinois a 2 1/2-point favorite over UConn.

While the brackets turned into a chalk-a-holics delight for the most part with two No. 1 seeds, a No. 2 and a No. 3, any of the four teams could win if they play to their capabilities this weekend.

No double-digit lead is safe because anyone can go on a dominating run, as Michigan and UConn both did on Sunday.

UConn’s Dan Hurley dodged a bullet and lived to crow about coming out on top of one of the most epic wins in NCAA Tournament history, which he aided by letting his kids play instead of calling a timeout after the Duke turnover in…

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Publish date : 2026-04-01 09:30:00

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