INDIANAPOLIS, MARCH 31, 2026 —
What You Need To Know
- UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina are the 2026 Final Four — all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the semifinal weekend for the second consecutive year and only the second time in NCAA history
- UConn’s Braylon Mullins hit a 35-foot buzzer beater to beat Duke 73-72 in the Elite Eight — completing a 19-point comeback in one of the greatest finishes in NCAA Tournament history
- The women’s Final Four is equally historic: No. 1 seeds UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina have all advanced — making this the first time all four No. 1 seeds reached the women’s Final Four in back-to-back seasons
This weekend in Indianapolis, March Madness will deliver something that has happened only once before in the tournament’s 88-year history: all four No. 1 seeds in the same Final Four. It happened last year for the first time ever. It is happening again right now. And the path each team took to get here — particularly UConn’s — produced moments that will be replayed for decades.
The four teams who will compete for the national championship in Indianapolis beginning Saturday are UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina. Between them, they hold 11 national championships, every No. 1 seed from this year’s bracket, and one genuinely immortal buzzer beater from a freshman who grew up 30 minutes from the building where he will now play the biggest game of his life.
How Each Team Got Here
UConn (East Region, 32-5) — The path UConn traveled to Indianapolis runs through one of the defining moments in tournament history. Down 19 points to Duke in the Elite Eight, with 15 minutes left and the No. 1 overall seed looking completely in control, freshman Braylon Mullins hit a 35-foot three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining for a 73-72 victory. The comeback — the largest by any team against a No. 1 seed in Elite Eight history — sent UConn to the Final Four for the third time in four years and ended Cameron Boozer’s college career in the most devastating fashion imaginable. Coach Dan Hurley is now two wins from a third national championship in four years.
UCLA (West Region, 31-4) — The Bruins dispatched No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Elite Eight behind the most complete individual performance of Lauren Betts’ career. The 6-foot-7 center — who transferred from Stanford after her freshman year and has transformed UCLA into a national title contender — posted 28 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots against the Volunteers. UCLA head coach Cori Close now has the program that her predecessor built into a dynasty positioned to win its first national title since 2006.
Texas (Midwest Region, 30-6) — The Longhorns overcame the loss of their leading scorer to injury in the Sweet 16 by committee — seven different players scored in double figures across their Elite Eight victory over Ohio State. Coach Rodney Terry has built one of the most balanced rosters in the country, and balance, historically, is what wins in April. Texas has never won a national championship in men’s basketball. That narrative is the fuel that has driven this team through every elimination game since the tournament began.
South Carolina (South Region, 35-0) — The Gamecocks enter the Final Four undefeated — the first team to reach the semifinal weekend without a loss since UConn’s legendary 2015-16 squad that finished 38-0 and won the title. Coach Dawn Staley’s program is, by any statistical measure, the best team in college basketball this season. They have won by an average of 24 points in tournament games. Their margin of victory in the Elite Eight was 31. If South Carolina wins the national championship Saturday and Monday, they will become the first team to go 37-0 in a single season — and Staley will have delivered back-to-back undefeated national championships, something no coach in the history of the sport has achieved.
The Semifinal Schedule
| Game | Matchup | Day | Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s Semifinal 1 | UConn vs Illinois | Saturday April 4 | 6:09 PM ET | CBS |
| Men’s Semifinal 2 | UCLA vs Texas | Saturday April 4 | 8:49 PM ET | TBS |
| Women’s Semifinal 1 | South Carolina vs UConn | Friday April 3 | 7:00 PM ET | ESPN |
| Women’s Semifinal 2 | UCLA vs Texas | Friday April 3 | 9:30 PM ET | ESPN |
The Storylines That Will Define This Weekend
Braylon Mullins returns to Indianapolis — his home. He grew up in Greenwood, Indiana, 20 miles from Lucas Oil Stadium. He played his travel basketball at the same gyms that Indiana high school legends played before him. And now, in the biggest game of his life, he will play it in the building he dreamed about as a child.
South Carolina’s pursuit of an undefeated season is the most extraordinary athletic achievement in progress anywhere in American sports right now. Dawn Staley has built a program that does not just win — it dominates in a way that makes opponents look like they belong to a different sport. If the Gamecocks finish 37-0, it will be the greatest single-season achievement in women’s basketball history.
And across both tournaments, the concentration of talent on these four teams — teams that were seeded No. 1 for a reason and have now proven it through six rounds of elimination play — makes for the most compelling Final Four weekend since the last time all four No. 1 seeds reached this stage.
That was last year. This is better.
