Men's NCAA Tournament winners, losers: Arizona, Illinois end long Final Four droughts with regional final wins

Half of the Final Four is set.

On Saturday, the Arizona Wildcats and Illinois Fighting Illini punched their tickets to Indianapolis for the national semifinals set for next Saturday.

Below are our winners of the day's Elite Eight action.

Winner: Ending prolonged Final Four droughts

No. 3 seed Illinois (28-8, 15-5 in Big Ten) won the South Region in an all-Big Ten regional final, coming from behind to defeat the No. 9 seed Iowa Hawkeyes (24-13, 10-10 in Big Ten), 71-59. The victory clinched the program's fifth Final Four appearance and first since 2005, when it lost the national championship game to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

In the West Region, No. 1 Arizona (36-2, 16-2 in Big 12) mounted a second-half comeback over the No. 2 Purdue Boilermakers (30-9, 13-7 in Big Ten), 79-64, to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2001, when it fell to the Duke Blue Devils in the national final.

The Wildcats haven't won the NCAA Tournament since 1997, while the Illini are seeking their first men's basketball national title in program.

Loser: Iowa's defensive rebounding

Despite outshooting Illinois 11-3 from the three-point line, Iowa was undone in the interior, where it got wrecked on the glass. The Illini were particularly effective on the offensive boards, grabbing 16 rebounds compared to the Hawkeyes' 13 defensive rebounds.

Iowa wasn't a particularly good rebounding team all season, entering Saturday ranked No. 358 in Division I in rebounds per game (29.6), and that ended up playing a key role in its downfall. Head coach Ben McCollum, entering his second offseason in Iowa City, knows what he must fix for the Hawkeyes to go even further in 2027.

Winner: Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz

Following McCollum from Division II Northwest Missouri State to Drake, then Iowa, Stirtz has been a great story over the past two seasons, and he finished his career with one more impressive chapter. The 2025-26 second-team All-Big Ten guard led the Hawkeyes with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, while adding three rebounds and three assists.

After an anonymous start to his collegiate career, Stirtz exits Iowa with a much higher profile and a chance of making an NBA roster next season.

Loser: Halftime leads

Both Iowa and Purdue closed their first halves with leads, with the Hawkeyes leading by four and the Boilermakers up seven. Each lost by double digits, combining to be outscored 91-53 in the second half.

The two losing squads appeared to run out of gas against more talented competition down the stretch, imparting a valuable lesson to Sunday's Elite Eight field: Leave something in the tank.

Winner: Freshmen

A recurring theme of the 2025-26 season has been outstanding freshman play, and several members of the class added to the narrative in Saturday's wins.

Illinois guard Keaton Wagler led the Illini with 25 points on 8-of-17 shooting while adding two rebounds, three assists and a steal. During March Madness, he's averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a steal per game.

In Saturday's second regional final, Arizona forward Koa Peat had 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He's averaging 17.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and two assists per game over four tournament games. Freshman teammates Ivan Kharchanev (18 points, eight rebounds) and Brayden Burries (11 points, three steals) also left their mark.

The future NBA Draft picks have been key contributors all season, and instead of shrinking under the bright lights, they're only shining brighter.