Illinois defeated Iowa 71-59 while Arizona took down Purdue 79-64, sending two of college basketball’s most beloved programs back to the sport’s biggest stage.
It has been a long time coming for two of college basketball’s most storied programs. The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Arizona Wildcats punched their tickets to the 2026 Final Four on the same weekend, ending droughts that had stretched across decades and tested the patience of their most devoted fans.
Illinois got there first, knocking off Iowa 71-59 in a performance that left little doubt about who was in control. It marked the program’s first Final Four appearance since the 2004-05 season a gap of more than two decades. Arizona followed suit with a 79-64 victory over Purdue, capping a 25-year wait since the Wildcats last stood on college basketball’s grandest stage back in the 2000-01 season.
Illinois finally breaks through after years of near misses
The 2004-05 Illinois team is still talked about with reverence in college basketball circles. That group, coached by Bruce Weber, finished 29-1, swept the Big Ten tournament, and featured a roster loaded with future NBA talent in Dee Brown, Deron Williams, and Luther Head. They stormed all the way to the national championship game before falling to North Carolina.
What followed was a far less glamorous stretch. The Illini made five NCAA tournament appearances over the next eight years but could never recapture that magic. A seven-year tournament drought followed, cutting deep into the early years of coach Brad Underwood’s tenure. When Illinois finally returned as a No. 1 seed in 2021, it ended in a second-round loss to Loyola-Chicago a result that stung even more given the expectations.
Five years later, that pain has been replaced by something far better. The 2026 Illini are built on a thoughtful mix of homegrown talent, sharp recruiting, and smart use of the transfer portal. Kylan Boswell and Tomislav Ivisic have been pillars of consistency throughout the season, but the player who has elevated this team to another level is Keaton Wagler. The 3 star recruit turned All American poured in a game-high 25 points against Iowa, delivering exactly when it mattered most.
Arizona’s quarter century journey back to the Final Four
For Arizona, the weight of 25 years was even heavier. The 2000-01 Wildcats led by Gilbert Arenas and Richard Jefferson pulled off one of the great upsets of that era, taking down a No. 1 seeded Illinois squad in the Elite Eight on their way to the Final Four. It remains one of the more memorable runs in program history.
Since then, Arizona made the NCAA tournament 15 times in 17 years but ran into a wall every time the Elite Eight came around, going 0-5 in that round during that stretch. The Sean Miller era, while productive in the regular season, ended without a Final Four and was followed by a COVID-impacted year away from the tournament altogether.
Coach Tommy Lloyd has systematically changed the program’s trajectory since taking over. Under his leadership, Arizona has now made five straight March Madness appearances, each one building toward something bigger. This year’s team is the payoff.
Returning players Jaden Bradley and Motiejus Krivas have been central to Arizona’s run. Bradley, who earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors, has controlled games with poise and efficiency. Krivas provides a physical inside presence that few opponents have answered. Add in freshman contributors Brayden Burries, averaging 16.2 points per game, and Koa Peat at 13.9 points per game, and Lloyd has assembled something genuinely complete.
What comes next for Illinois and Arizona
The road does not get easier from here. Illinois will face the winner of the Duke vs. UConn matchup, while Arizona awaits the outcome of Michigan vs. Tennessee. According to KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metrics, Illinois enters as the nation’s top offensive team and Arizona as its top defensive unit a combination that has Final Four written all over it, and perhaps even a dream matchup in the national championship game.
Both programs have worked too long and too hard to let this moment pass quietly. Illinois is chasing its first national title. Arizona is hunting a second. Whatever happens next, college basketball is better for having both of them back.