Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, UConn Punch Tickets to Men's NCAA Final Four

Braylon Mullins' buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave UConn a 73-72 win over Duke in the East Region final Sunday, completing a Final Four field that sends Arizona, Illinois, Michigan and the Huskies to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis next weekend.

Arizona's return was the most anticipated. Freshman Koa Peat scored 20 points as the top-seeded Wildcats beat Purdue 79-64 in the West Region final Saturday night, ending a 25-year absence from the national semifinals.

Michigan delivered the weekend's most dominant performance. Yaxel Lendeborg scored 27 points and Elliot Cadeau added 10 assists as the top-seeded Wolverines routed Tennessee 95-62 in the Midwest Region final Sunday, overwhelming the Volunteers by 33 points in Chicago.

Illinois dispatched Iowa 71-59 in the South Region final on the strength of its front line. The Illini outrebounded the Hawkeyes 38-21, with David Mirkovic leading the way with 12 boards. Iowa shot just 5 of 18 in the second half and went more than five minutes without a basket as Illinois' size and shot-blocking proved suffocating. This will be the program's sixth Final Four; the Illini have never won a national title.

Coach Brad Underwood's Eastern European recruiting pipeline powered much of the damage. Tomislav Ivisic, a 7-foot-1 forward from Croatia, contributed 13 points, 11 of them after halftime, and his 7-2 twin brother Zvonimir was a consistent force throughout March.

UConn's path was more turbulent. Tarris Reed Jr. scored 20 points and Alex Karaban added 17 as the Huskies held off Michigan State 67-63 in the Sweet 16 on Friday in a game that nearly unraveled in its final seconds. UConn led 63-62 when Karaban was fouled with 22.5 seconds remaining. He converted both ends of a one-and-one to push the advantage to three, and after Michigan State failed to find a quick answer, Kur Teng's 3-pointer missed. A foul on the rebound with 4.6 seconds left sent Carson Cooper to the line; he made the first and missed the second before Reed rebounded and sealed it with two free throws.

Duke reached Sunday's final by rallying from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat St. John's 80-75, but the Blue Devils could not hold the lead late as Mullins' 3 at the buzzer ended their tournament. Illinois, carrying a program that has reached six Final Fours without a title, will face UConn in Indianapolis. Michigan and Arizona meet in the other semifinal.