By DaVince “Dino” Wright
And Then, There Were Four
I knew for a fact that the Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats and the Kansas Jayhawks would be in the final four. The “Blue Bloods” are no more! The Fighting Illini from Illinois, the Wildcats of Arizona, the Wolverines from Michigan and the Huskies from Connecticut will represent men’s college basketball in this year’s Final Four. A few of the key pieces for these teams are freshman and sophomores. There are no, “one and done” kids on these rosters which make these games worth watching. I would like to see both games go into overtime, but that won’t happen. The games will be close but no blowouts.
Recruiting
All four teams are on the radar for some of the top recruits in the country. Playing in this game will have some unexpected talents looking to attend these schools. Picture each one of these teams with 2 or more Top 50 players playing on these squads next season. NIL and the transfer portal will be buzzing after the title game.
#3 Illinois Fight Illini (28-8) vs #2 Connecticut Huskies (33-5)
Saturday – April 4 – 5:09 p.m.
TV: TBS
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
No one saw Illinois coming! The fighting Illini beat Penn, VCU, Houston and Iowa to get to this game. If you’re a basketball nut this team busted brackets all of the country. They lost 8 games this season and barely made it in their conference tournament. UConn is trying to win another title. They won the national championship in 2024. UConn has won two national championships in the past 3 years. There are so many questions looming over this game. Can Illinois beat a hot UConn team or will UConn get to another championship game and start a dynasty like the women’s team has over the past 15 years. Players to watch: #3 Illinois: Guard Keaton Wagner (who leads the team in scoring and assists) and Forward David Mirkovic. #2 UConn: Center Tarris Reed (leads the team in scoring and rebounding) and Guard Silas Demary, Jr. ESPN has the Fighting Illini with a 58.9% chance of winning this one and heading to the championship game. I’m taking the Huskies by 3!
Final Score
#3 Fighting Illini – 92
#2 Huskies – 89
#1 Michigan Wolverines (35-3) vs #1 Arizona Wildcats (36-2)
Saturday – April 4 – 7:49 p.m.
TV: TBS
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
The late game is a huge surprise for anyone who loves college basketball. Both teams have a rich history of big wins for their respective programs. This game is one of the biggest for both programs in recent history. The #1 Michigan Wolverines beat Howard, Saint Louis, Alabama and Tennessee to get here, while the #1 seeded Wildcats clawed their way to this match up by beating LIU, Utah State, Arkansas and Purdue. Players to watch: #1 Michigan: Forward Yaxel Lendenborg, Forward Morez Johnson Jr. and Guard Elliot Cadeau. #1 Arizona: Guard Brayden Burries, Forward Tobe Awaka and Guard Jaden Bradley. ESPN has the Wolverines with a 51.8% chance of winning and moving on the title game. I’m taking Michigan by 6. The over/under is 157.5 so take the over in this one. The team that stays out of foul trouble will be the winner.
Final Score
#1 Wolverines – 87
#1 Wildcats – 81
