NCAA Basketball
2026-04-04 - Arizona Wildcats at Michigan Wolverines
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NCAA Basketball Tournament Final Four
Saturday 4th April 2026 - Scheduled 8:49pm EST
1:49am (British Time)
Preview
The other two teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament will have something to say about it, but the Michigan Wolverines and Arizona Wildcats look to be the best two teams in the College Basketball scene. That would have felt the case going into the Tournament and nothing that has been produced by the Wolverines and Wildcats would have shifted that opinion for the majority of fans.
The layers are finding it hard to separate the teams in either game and there is very little between these two.
Both entered the Tournament rated as top five Offensive units and the absolute best of the best when it comes to the Defensive side of the court. A narrow edge was with the Wolverines Defensively and Offensively, but this is an Arizona team that have shown their strength throughout this Tournament and will certainly believe they can edge past the narrow favourite.
The big battle here is going to be on the glass and the key is winning those to earn the second chance possessions that can tip the game on one side.
This has been a strength of the Wildcats, who tend to dominate the paint on both sides of the court, and Arizona fans will certainly believe they can do the same against the Wolverines.
Of course Michigan fans will counter with the superior three point shooting and they will also feel they can largely deal with what Arizona bring onto the court if they can avoid transitional basketball. Restricting turnovers and just being at par on the Rebounding would be a huge edge for the Wolverines in what is considered a game that will go down to the wire.
That three point shooting edge can open things up for the Wolverines- if they can connect with a few of those early, it may force Arizona to Defend that much higher and that could see the paint dominance reduced.
There have been weaknesses at times with the Wolverines three point Defensive efforts, but that is not something that Arizona may attack with a lot of confidence. Again, in a close game, those little margins can add up to make the difference and the Michigan Wolverines look like they are rightly set as the narrow favourite.
A Final Four game that is being seen by many as the 'real' NCAA Championship looks like it will be decided late in the second half and this is another slight edge afforded to the Wolverines. The second half Defensive efforts have been the best in College Basketball and the Wolverines may just find a couple of big boards to take them through to the NCAA Championship Game.
Prediction
If you like College Basketball, you should love the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
The second of those games looks the best and it feels like the Michigan Wolverines may just do enough to edge past Arizona Wildcats with some late big time Defensive stops the difference on the night.
The Pick :
Michigan Wolverines 74-71 Arizona Wildcats
