INDIANAPOLIS – Before the national championship can be decided on the Lucas Oil Stadium court, it’s a contest of facts and figures on paper, some of them logical, some not so much. The numbers of the Final Four now have the floor.
14. Associated Press top-25 opponents beaten by Arizona this season, the most since the poll was introduced in 1949. Two more wins in Indianapolis would be 16, and that would mean 42 percent of the Wildcats’ 38 victories came against ranked teams.
11-2. Michigan’s record against ranked opponents this season, with four of the wins by at least 30 points, including three in a row. That had never happened before in the 77-year history of the Associated Press poll.
MICHIGAN IS HEADED TO INDY 🔥
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB)
THE WOLVERINES ARE ON TO THE FINAL FOUR 👏
18. Consecutive wins by Connecticut in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament or later, going back to 2011.
7. Michigan’s winning streak in Final Four semifinal games, going back to 1965.
3. Connecticut’s trips to the Final Four in the past four years.
3. Illinois’ trips to the Final Four in the past 74 years.
📝 WANT MORE? From state fair to Final Four: Brad Underwood's long road to the big stage
92. Division I players this season who averaged at least 18 points a game. None of them are in the Final Four. Balance seemed to be the ticket to Indianapolis. Eighteen of the 20 starters average in double figures for the year. Michigan has six players averaging in double figures for the NCAA Tournament and a seventh at 9.5. Seven different Arizona players have scored at least 20 points in a game this season.
17.9. Keaton Wagler’s average for Illinois, making him the highest scorer in the Final Four. He’s 97th in the nation.
3. Points scored and shots taken by Wagler for Illinois in the loss to Connecticut in November. He only played 14 minutes. That was before the Illini – and college basketball – knew what was coming from the freshman.
69-2. The combined record of this Final Four against teams from quads 2, 3 and 4 in the NET rankings. Both losses belong to Connecticut.
5. The number of 3-point shots Arizona attempted in its season-opening 93-87 win over then No. 3 Florida. No team in the nation tried fewer in a game all season. It established two trends: The Wildcats weren’t all that interested in 3-point shooting – they’re now 356th out of 361 teams in attempts – and they would still score plenty enough to beat ranked teams.
7-1. Arizona’s record this season against top-10 opponents. Only one of the victories was at home.
7. Michigan victories by at least 40 points this season.
7. Michigan victories by single digits this season.
7. Arizona freshman Koa Peat is the youngest of seven children. All seven earned Division I scholarships.
10-0. Michigan’s road record in the Big Ten. The last Big Ten team to go unbeaten on the road was Indiana’s perfect season in 1976.
77-52. Connecticut’s win over Illinois the last time they met in the NCAA Tournament, in 2023. That included a 30-0 run by the Huskies. “Thanks for the reminder, by the way,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said this weekend when the game was mentioned.
74-61. Connecticut’s win over Illinois in November.
1938. The last time Illinois defeated Connecticut.
105-94. Score of the Soviet Union’s win over the USA to win the 1974 World Championship. Alexander Kharchenkov was a member of that Soviet team. His son Ivan will be starting for Arizona on Saturday.
6. Number of times the city of Houston has hosted a regional before last week.
6. Number of times the Houston regional winner has advanced to the national championship game. That’s your cue, Illinois.
9. Final Fours that included two Big Ten teams.
1989. The only previous Final Four that involved both Michigan and Illinois. They met in the semifinals, and after 33 lead changes, the Wolverines won 83-81 in the last two seconds.
24. This is only the second time in 24 years that every team in the Final Four is the name of a state. No Duke, no Purdue, no Gonzaga or Syracuse or Baylor. Just Connecticut and Illinois and Michigan and Arizona. The other year was 2014.
17. NCAA Tournament victories by Alex Karaban during his Connecticut career. He has lost once.
20. Schools in the five high-major basketball conferences that have not won 17 tournament games in their entire history.
750. Free throws Arizona has made this season.
🎞️ MISSED IT? Watch Koa Peat score 20 points to send Arizona to the Final Four
650. Free throws Arizona opponents have attempted this season.
1,020. Arizona free throw attempts this season, the first time in seven seasons any team in the nation reached the thousand mark.
101-95-90-95. Points Michigan has scored in its four NCAA tournament games.
55-55-59. Points Illinois has allowed in its three most recent NCAA tournament games.
5. Combined margin of victory in points for Connecticut last week at the East Regional. It tied for the third-lowest for a regional champion total since seeding began in 1979.
20-5. Dusty May’s record at Michigan in games decided by four or fewer points.
71-58. The final score of the last NCAA tournament game that Illinois played in Indianapolis. That was the second round in 2021 when the Illini were a No. 1 seed. So losing hurt. Losing to state cousin Loyola Chicago for the first time in 34 years wasn’t all that pleasant, either.
84-79. Arizona’s overtime victory over Kentucky in overtime to win the 1997 national championship. That’s the last time the Wildcats won a game in Indianapolis. They’ve lost three since.
19-5. Dan Hurley’s NCAA tournament record, tied for the second most wins ever after 24 games. Steve Fisher had 20 at Michigan. By the way, counting the long-extinct regional third-place games, John Wooden started 0-5 in the tournament at UCLA. His record would get better.
7. Purdue’s halftime lead over Arizona last week. That represents the biggest NCAA tournament comeback for the Wildcats in school history.
20.8 – Braylon Mullins’ 3-point shooting percentage for UConn in the NCAA tournament. That’s 5-for-24. But everyone remembers the last one he made. The measurement on that Duke dagger was 37 feet.
12. Total turnovers by Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous in 1,516 court minutes for Illinois this season.
0. Turnovers by Davis and Humrichous in nearly 140 NCAA tournament minutes.
31-27. Points and rebounds for Tarris Reed Jr. for Connecticut against Furman in the first round. It was the first 30-25 game in the NCAA tournament in 58 years, and only the third.
2011. Last time a No. 3 seed won the national championship. Which Illinois is.
1996. The last time Michigan defeated Arizona. The Wildcats have won four meetings since and are 9-2 all-time against the Wolverines.
0. Arizona players picked on the preseason all-Big 12 team. By the end of the season, the Wildcats had three of the 10 on the actual all-conference team.
11:14. Time Arizona has trailed in 160 NCAA tournament minutes, all against Purdue.
51 seconds. Time Connecticut had the lead against Duke.
👀 LOOK BACK: On the best moments from two weeks of March Madness
22.5. Michigan’s average margin of victory in the 2026 NCAA tournament.
20.5 Arizona’s average margin.
19.5 Illinois’ average margin.
8.0. Connecticut’s average margin.
But everything's 0-0 Saturday evening.
