And just like that, four teams remain.
The Final Four kicks off Saturday at 6:09pm EST at Lucas Oil Stadium when the UConn Huskies take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Huskies are coming off of a miraculous 19-point comeback over top-seeded Duke, capped off by a near half-court heave by true freshman, Braylon Mullins. As for Illinois, they clinched their first Final Four appearance since 2005 when they defeated Iowa 71-59 in last week's Elite Eight, powered by Keaton Wagler's 25-point performance.
Shortly after that game concludes, Arizona will play Michigan. Both teams have been dominant forces in their respective conferences and through the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats defeated Purdue in the Elite Eight thanks to a dominant second half performance on all cylinders. Meanwhile, Michigan cruised by Tennessee from the second the ball tipped off to punch their ticket to Indianapolis. With the success both teams have been having this season, this matchup is certainly one to look forward to.
Without further ado, let's get into the predictions.
(2) UConn vs. (3) Illinois
Saturday, April 4 - 6:09pm EST
The key of the game for UConn will be to keep up with the Illinois offense for a full 40 minutes. Unfortunately for the Huskies, keeping up with the Illini offense is no easy task. The last two games we have seen Houston and Iowa keep it close before ultimately running out of steam. The Fighting Illini present a scary offense in the sense that every player is capable of scoring the ball, as well as their overwhelming size.
Luckily for UConn, they have also been clutch down the stretch. UConn has found themselves neck and neck with both Michigan State and Duke in the last two games, and the Huskies impressively came away with both. As this one should be another game expected to come down to the wire, Illinois' poise in crunch time will be enough to advance them to the National Championship game.
Score Prediction: (2) UConn 73, (3) Illinois 76
(1) Arizona vs. (1) Michigan
Saturday, April 4 - 8:49pm EST
Following the UConn-Illinois game, Arizona and Michigan will tip off in one of the most highly anticipated Final Four games in recent memory. The two teams combine for just five total losses on the season and have been rolling through top-tier teams left and right. Starting with Arizona, the Wildcats offense simply has too many options. The Wildcats scorers have the tendency to get hot at any time while translating their game defensively as well, leading to nightmare runs for opponents. Michigan on the other hand scores the ball just as well, if not better than anyone else.
The Wolverines have scored 90+ points in each tournament game, defeating opponents by double-digits in each. When predicting the results of this game, the X-factor in this one could very well be Michigan's 7-foot-3 center, Aday Mara. Mara, who is averaging just 23 minutes per game this tournament, is averaging north of 13 points and five rebounds. If the Spain-native is able to keep himself out of foul trouble, he can be a real outlet for the Wolverines as they fight for a National Championship appearance. Despite the blueprint to success for Michigan, a gut feeling tells me the Wildcats will have enough in the tank in closing minutes to come away with this one.
Score Prediction: (1) Arizona 84, (1) Michigan 83
