The Sweet 16 was a mix of dominance and drama. Top seeds mostly took care of business, as No. 1 Michigan dominated over No. 4 Alabama
No. 1 Duke held off No. 5 St John’s
No. 2 Purdue beat No. 11 Texas off a game winning tip-shot
No. 1 Arizona proved they were too fast for No. 4 Arkansas to keep up with.
However, there were some surprises too, including:
No. 9 Iowa pulled ahead of No. 4 Nebraska in the final minutes
No. 3 Illinois proving their offense was too good for No. 2 Houston to handle.
With only 8 teams left and a trip to the Final Four on the line, the intensity reached another level in the Elite Eight. No. 2 UConn knocked off the overall No. 1 seed Duke with an impressive game-winning shot from freshman Braylon Mullins, marking one of the craziest comebacks in tournament history as UConn overcame a 19-point deficit to get the win. No. 3 Illinois continued to be problematic for other teams due to their electric offense as No. 9 Iowa was unable to slow them down. No. 1 Arizona, despite trailing at halftime against No. 2 Purdue, rallied in the second half to knock out Purdue and reach the Final Four. No. 1 Michigan rolled past No. 6 Tennessee, marking one of the most dominant performances in Elite Eight history, winning with an impressive score of 92-65.
With the Final Four set, teams had a week to reflect and prepare for their big stage matchup with a trip to the National Championship on the line. No. 2 UConn faced off against No. 3 Illinois, a game in which UConn controlled the pace from the jump, and head coach Dan Hurley advanced to his third National Championship in four years. Despite many people counting UConn out, given their loss to St. John’s in the conference tournament, their elite coaching and experience in March proved to be relevant. No. 1 Michigan had been dominating so far this tournament, and they did not slow down, even against No. 1 Arizona. Michigan led by 20+ points for most of the game and took a game that many people expected to be neck and neck and blew their competition out of the water.
On Monday, April 6, the final game of the 2026 March Madness Tournament concluded. The matchup between No. 2 UConn and No. 1 Michigan was close in the first half, but Michigan pulled ahead in the second half and was just out of reach for UConn. Michigan won the National Title with a 69-63 victory and made history by being the first team that has won the National Championship with their entire starting lineup being transfers.
