Would Illinois Prefer Michigan or Arizona in the National Championship?

Illinois would happily welcome – and, frankly, would be over the moon – to face Michigan or Arizona one game from now. Simply because that would mean the Illini are still alive on Monday, college basketball’s final day of the season. To play for a national championship, though, Illinois must first take care of business against UConn – which is no easy task.

With that in mind, by no means are we assuring that the Illini will knock off the Huskies – although we may be leaning that way. But if Brad Underwood and his crew are able to take the next step Saturday night (5:09 p.m. CT, TBS), which squad would be the more preferable matchup in the national title: Michigan or Arizona?

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The case for Illinois preferring Michigan in the national championship

Feb 27, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) drives the ball against Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The key advantage the Illini would have against the Wolverines: familiarity. Illinois has already seen Michigan – in a game the Illini lost 84-70 in Champaign – and Underwood has been relatively impressive making adjustments against second-time-around opponents.

After falling to Nebraska in the Big Ten opener, Illinois responded in the rematch in Lincoln, riding a dominant 45-30 second half to a victory in early February. Especially defensively, the Illini would undoubtedly be better equipped to handle the Wolverines than they were back in their late-February outing.

Additionally, although Michigan has exceptional size as a team, it’s not exactly a dominant force on the glass. But Illinois is. After losing the battle of the boards in their first clash (34-30), the Illini could flip that number – and then some – riding their rebounding to control the second-chance point disparity.

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Also, the loss – and the manner in which Michigan and Morez Johnson…

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Publish date : 2026-04-04 03:15:00

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