March Madness has yet to disappoint this year, with major upsets and buzzer-beaters at every turn. This weekend, it all comes to a head in the Final Four, with the two winning teams matching up on Monday evening to see who wins it all.
Here are predictions for all of the upcoming games that will show who will reign as the 2026 NCAA Champion.
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Illinois
This is the first of two games being held Saturday evening. One interesting fact to note about this matchup is the lack of the No. 1 seed from either of the regions participating. Florida and Duke both faced their defeats before reaching the Final Four, leaving us with a matchup of semi-underdogs.
The University of Connecticut, led by head coach Dan Hurley, were the team that beat Duke last weekend. That was by the hand of freshman Braylon Mullins’ legendary half-court shot at the end of the game.
In order to win, the Huskies are going to have to stop the best offense in the country. The last two UConn wins were by less than 5 points, showing a flair for the dramatic. This will need to change if UConn wants to ensure their victory against a team that has made a great run for themselves.
As for Illinois, they have some impressive wins under their belt this tournament. In the Sweet 16, they bested No. 2 Houston, which has one of the best defenses in the sport. That game, they held the Cougars to just 55 points, winning by 10 points 65-55. In their Elite Eight matchup against No. 9 Iowa, they won 71-59.
Illinois’ ability to score the ball seemingly against any team is their strong suit, and their calling card for that ability is freshman Keaton Wagler. Wagler averaged just shy of 18 points per game this season, and has continued to show that scoring ability in the tournament.
These are both two great teams who deserve to be here, but the prediction today is that UConn will beat the Fighting Illini. The comeback win against Duke was too much of a resume-builder for this run, and Hurley is a coaching matchup nightmare for the staff of any team they are up against. In the end, UConn will continue their heroics to the championship game in Indianapolis on Monday night.
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 Michigan
This game has the potential to be the most entertaining one of this entire run. While the other No. 1 seeds fell on the other side of the bracket, both top teams of their respective regions will face off here. Both No. 1 seeds are historic on top of that.
The University of Arizona had a snowball of a regular season, one that gave them more and more national attention after every addition to their unprecedented win streak. They continued that momentum into their postseason run, absolutely dominating in every game.
The Wildcats have won each postseason game by an average of 20.5 points. The biggest reason for that is the insane depth that this roster has. Koa Peat, Brayden Burries, Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov are the main standouts on this team, with others including Tobe Akawa and Jaden Bradley.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd has done a phenomenal job at making adjustments and balancing such a talented roster, and the wins are there to back him up.
This game will prove big for the ‘Cats. Beating a No. 1 seed before the championship game will almost lock in their chances at being the 2026 national champions to cap off a historic season.
The biggest need for this team will be for either of their star players, Peat and Burries, to lead the team to victory in their scoring. This cannot be the game where this Arizona offense gets off to a slow start and has to claw back.
As for Michigan, they have a great roster as well. Their dominance has been even better than Arizona’s this March. The Wolverines have won their four matchups by an average of 22.5 points per game, capping off their run to the Final Four with a 33-point statement win over No. 6 Tennessee.
Yaxel Lendenborg has been the biggest key for this entire Michigan operation. However, Peat and the rest of the size that Arizona has will be the reason why the Wildcats will be advancing to the National Championship game on Monday evening. The size, scoring, and depth of Arizona will prove too much for the Wolverines in a battle of the only No. 1 seeds left.
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 1 UConn
This section is completely hypothetical; there is no guarantee that these two teams will meet at the pinnacle of this tournament. However, if these predictions are true, Arizona will match up against UConn with the national championship on the line.
Both teams have strengths and weaknesses that each can address, but one singular trait sticks out above them all: Arizona’s continued dominance.
As was discussed before, the Wildcats have a very deep roster with the wins to back it up, and have been blowing teams out all March. UConn, meanwhile, has been barely squeaking out wins because of their clutch nature and ingenious coaching from Hurley.
Unfortunately for the Huskies, the University of Arizona will be taking home the National Championship this spring.
Author: Jake Palmer
Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Editor: Payson Davis
