The quartet of teams “left standing” after the first two weeks of the NCAA tournament “are all juggernauts” for the second consecutive year, as Michigan, Arizona, UConn and Illinois will be heading to Indianapolis for the Final Four. There may only be a pair of No. 1 seeds in this year’s Final Four compared to four the previous year, “but the quality of the teams is not terribly different.” The makeup of this year’s Final Four “won’t surprise anyone who has been paying attention to how top-heavy college basketball has become the past few years” (YAHOO SPORTS, 3/29).
In “a sign of the times,” the Illini “will pass for something resembling Cinderella.” The fact that Illinois “feels most like this year’s out-of-nowhere underdog speaks more about the current state of college hoops than the Illini themselves.” They are a No. 3 seed -- the highest number at the Final Four in two years (AP, 3/29).
This is “a fever dream of a Final Four for Arizona fans,” and it is “a pinch-me moment for Illinois fans, too.” Arizona is “finally back among the sport’s elite,” while Illinois “finally has a chance to win its first title.” The Big Ten also “may finally have a team that can cut down those nets on Monday night” (NBCSPORTS.com, 3/29).
