2026 Final Four Power Rankings: Where Illinois Stands Among Final Contenders

Sixty games down, three to go. With two full weekends of the NCAA Tournament in the books, just four teams remain standing. Michigan out of the Midwest Region and Arizona out of the West Region – both top seeds – didn’t cause any waves.

But No. 2 seed UConn (East Region) and No. 3 seed Illinois (South Region), two clubs that entered with notable upside but had sputtered down the stretch of the year, may have turned some heads, though. So which squad is the top dog – and how do the rest of the teams fall in line? Here's the answer to both questions in our Final Four power rankings:

2026 Final Four power rankings: Who is the favorite to win the title?

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley celebrates after a play against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

No. 4 UConn

After skating past No. 15 Furman in the opening round, toppling seventh-seeded UCLA and holding on for dear life against Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the Sweet 16, UConn came face-to-face with a Duke squad it couldn’t handle – or so it seemed through 20 minutes of action.

But the Huskies hung around, clawed back and gave themselves a shot at the tail end of the contest. And it was a shot – a deep, beautiful, high-arcing launch from the hands of freshman Braylon Mullins as time nearly expired – that pushed UConn into the Final Four.

OH MY GOODNESS 😱

UCONN LEADSSSS UNBELIEVABLE #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/IPX2JWiw0b
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

Now Dan Hurley and his Huskies are set for a matchup with a big, highly skilled Illinois team playing its best defense of the season while also boasting the top offense in the country. UConn knocked off the Illini by 13 in a (sort of) neutral-site matchup at New York City's Madison Square Garden in late November, but these are now two entirely different clubs – especially Illinois.

No. 3 Illinois

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) shoots against Iowa Hawkeyes guard Tavion Banks (6) in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

UConn may have arguably been punching above its weight class – and managed to survive with a knockout blow – but Illinois has been the heavyweight squad in each of its matchups thus far in the tournament. The Sweet 16 performance against Houston was thoroughly unexpected, specifically the defensive product the Illini rolled out (they held the Cougars to just 34.4 percent from the field). But they were also clearly the better club for all of 40 minutes.

The Elite Eight win over Iowa was, at times, a step in the wrong direction on both sides of the floor, but there was no let-up in terms of physicality and intensity – which revealed itself on the boards. The Illini feasted on the glass (winning the rebounding battle 38-21), and they should do more of the same against an average rebounding UConn team (save for the efforts of Tarris Reed Jr.).

No. 2 Arizona

Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) reacts after scoring a three-point field goal against the Purdue Boilermakers during a NCAA Tournament game Saturday, March 28, 2026 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Purdue fell to Arizona 79-64. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Entering the break on Saturday night against Purdue, with Arizona trailing by seven, it felt as though we had managed to overlook the preseason No. 1 Boilermakers. Then, the Wildcats reminded everyone why preseason rankings mean absolutely nothing, as they trampled Purdue by a 48-26 margin over the final 20 minutes.

Arizona has it all: uber-talented freshmen, seasoned vets, tremendous size and exceptional coaching (on both ends). There isn’t one aspect of the Wildcats’ overall profile that truly leaps off the charts – although their size and physicality are impressive – but their lack of weaknesses is a terrifying sight for anyone in the line of fire.

No. 1 Michigan

Michigan head coach Dusty May smiles after a play against Tennessee during the second half of NCAA Tournament Elite 8 round at United Center in Chicago on Sunday, March 29, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Similar to Arizona (these two units are more like 1a and 1b on this list), Michigan is all but bulletproof. The 33-point Elite Eight victory over Tennessee made that abundantly clear (as if the first three double-digit wins hadn’t). The Wolverines have been a juggernaut on both sides of the floor the entire season, but the difference-maker in March has been Yaxel Lendeborg.

Scoring at a high level (23-plus in three straight games) and at a shockingly efficient – and effortless – rate, Lendeborg has hit a new gear offensively. After being lauded for his ability to impact the game in non-scoring ways, Lendeborg is still doing all of the nitty-gritty supporting stuff (rebounding, facilitating, defending, etc.) but is now also behaving like the best scorer in the sport.

Then there’s Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. – both of whom are top-10 defenders in the nation – rounding out the Wolverines' frontcourt. With that trio, Michigan has perhaps the most impenetrable defense in college basketball. And the offense, when it isn’t coming from fastbreak points by way of the suffocating defense, has been artfully orchestrated by lead guard Elliot Cadeau, who has now registered seven or more assists in five straight games.