Any basketball analyst might come off looking smart if he/she chose the four No. 2 seeds — UConn, Purdue, Houston and Iowa State — to reach the Final Four.
That's how difficult it is to reach the Final Four. The field of contenders is loaded. But I'm not picking any of the No. 2s. I'll go this way:
– St. John's: I'm no Rick Pitino fan. His sideline demeanor and it's-all-about-me persona is annoying. But I can see him eliminating Duke, which is fine with me.
Florida guard Xaivian Lee (1) shoots a basket during the second half against Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, March 14, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
– Florida: The Gators have the easiest road to Indianapolis. Houston's lack of inside strength will send grumpy Kelvin Sampson home in the Elite Eight, even with the hometown advantage of playing the second weekend in Houston.
– Michigan: No one in the Midwest regional has the talent of the Wolverines. Sorry, Cyclones.
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– Arizona: If the UA ends its 25-year Final Four drought, it'll probably have to survive headline-making games against Gonzaga or Purdue or a long overdue payback to Wisconsin. But it won't be any more daunting than the UA's Final Four-helpful victories over North Carolina (1988), Missouri (1994), Kansas (1997) and Illinois (2001). Time for history to be rewritten.
This Arizona team has the stuff to end program’s Final Four drought | Michael Lev
