Get to know the Final Four teams in the NCAA Tournament

NEW YORK — For the second season in a row, the Final Four does not feature a single Cinderella.

It’s likely a symptom of the NCAA’s name, image and likeness (NIL) and transfer-portal era, in which players possess unprecedented mobility and bigger-budgeted programs can poach the standouts from smaller schools.

That’s not to say this year’s NCAA Tournament has been all chalk.

Top-seeded Duke was eliminated by UConn on Sunday night in buzzer-beating fashion. Florida, Houston and Iowa State were all upset, too.

That leaves 1-seed Arizona, 1-seed Michigan, 2-seed UConn and 3-seed Illinois as the last teams standing.

Here’s what you need to know before Arizona faces Michigan and UConn takes on llinois in Indianapolis:

Arizona

The Wildcats (36-2) emerged as the class of the loaded Big 12, surging to regular-season and conference-tournament championships over Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Texas Tech.

And they did it with balance.

Arizona owns the country’s fourth-most-efficient offense and second-most-efficient defense, according to the analytics website KenPom.

The Wildcats employ two potential lottery picks in freshman guard Brayden Burries (16.1 points per game) and freshman power forward Koa Peat (14.4 points, 5.5 rebounds), as well as a 7-2 center, Motiejus Krivas, who could go in the first round.

That’s not to mention senior guard Jaden Bradley — a native of Rochester, N.Y. — who is a third-team All-American.

“The most powerful thing in a team sport is a player-led program,” head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “The coach, you have to help them navigate it, but when you can get the players to own these moments, you are just so much better.”

Arizona averages 42.6 rebounds per game, which ranks second among Division I teams, and it scores 14.9 fastbreak points per game.

Those strengths help the Wildcats overcome their lack of a 3-point presence. They shoot 36.7% from 3-point range, but on only 16.0 attempts per game.

Arizona outscores opponents by 17.6 points per game — the fourth-best rate among Division I teams.

That trend has continued in the NCAA Tournament, where Arizona has defeated each of its four opponents — LIU, Utah State, Arkansas and Purdue — by at least 12.

Michigan

Arizona would be the clear-cut favorite if not for Michigan, which has been similarly well-rounded.

The Wolverines (35-3) wield the fifth-most-efficient offense and the top-rated defense among Division I teams, according to KenPom.

They’ve barely been tested in this NCAA Tournament, defeating all four opponents — Howard, Saint Louis, Alabama and Tennessee — by at least 13 points and scoring at least 90 points in each game.

At the heart of Michigan’s dominance is 6-9 senior forward/center Yaxel Lendeborg, a likely lottery pick with freakish length and defensive versatility.

Lendeborg, a Naismith Player of the Year finalist, scored at least 23 points and made at least three 3-pointers in each of the last three games. He finished with a game-high 27 points in Sunday’s 92-65 rout of sixth-seeded Tennessee.

But Lendeborg doesn’t do it alone. Aday Mara, a 7-3 junior center, and power forward Morez Johnson Jr. are also expected to be drafted. Junior point guard Elliot Cadeau has at least seven assists in all four tournament games.

“We all trust each other,” Lendeborg said. “We play hard for each other. We make extra plays for each other. We’re going to do whatever we want for each other.”

Following a loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament final, Michigan again looks like the juggernaut that defeated six top-12 opponents during the season.

UConn

For a team as experienced as UConn (33-5), the Huskies have been maddeningly inconsistent.

They started 22-1, with the only loss coming against Arizona on a night UConn was missing two starters.

They were physically outmatched in a Feb. 6 loss to St. John’s, only to avenge that defeat with a 72-40 rout of the Red Storm on Feb. 25.

And with a chance to share the Big East regular-season title with St. John’s, UConn squandered that opportunity with a 68-62 loss to lowly Marquette in the regular-season finale.

The Huskies are yet to win a championship of any kind this year, as St. John’s defeated them in the Big East Tournament final, 72-52.

Their 81-72 first-round win over 15th-seeded Furman didn’t come easily, nor did a Sweet 16 victory in which Michigan State rallied back from a 19-point deficit.

But battle-tested UConn has found its way back to the Final Four, where it will attempt to win its third championship (2023 and 2024) in four seasons.

Led by head coach Dan Hurley, the Huskies boast a balanced starting lineup with stars at center (Tarris Reed Jr.) and point guard (Silas Demary Jr.), a two-time champion in Alex Karaban, and a phenom freshman in Braylon Mullins.

Mullins earned the headlines Sunday by drilling a go-ahead 35-footer with 0.4 seconds remaining, capping a 19-point comeback and 73-72 victory over Duke.

But the all-time-classic moment was a team effort, as Demary came away with preceding steal on a bad Cayden Boozer pass, while the selfless Karaban assisted on Mullins’ game-winner.

UConn owns the weakest offense of the remaining teams, and its defense is a notch below those of Arizona and Michigan.

But this is the second season that Karaban, Solo Ball and Reed — who is averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in the tournament — have played together.

That chemistry, Hurley’s championship pedigree and the roster’s talent — Mullins could be a top-15 pick — makes UConn dangerous.

“That’s what you come to UConn for, to play in these big games, and I feel like these big arenas help with the nerves,” Reed said. “You’re playing in front of thousands of people every week, and it can be a lot of pressure for some. I feel like we’ve done a good job just taking it on the chin.”

Illinois

Illinois is the biggest surprise among the Final Four teams, but maybe it shouldn’t be.

The Fighting Illini (28-8) have the most-efficient offense in the country, per KenPom, and they won four games against top-11 opponents this season.

They finished tied for second place in the ultra-deep Big Ten, behind only Michigan.

And they have one of the best players in the country in freshman guard Keaton Wagler, a possible top-10 pick, who is averaging 17.5 points per game in the tournament.

Five players average at least 10 points per game for Illinois, with Andrej Stojakovic — son of former NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic — among them.

The Illini also have two 7-footers in twins Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivišić.

Illinois has the lowest-rated defense among the Final Four teams, but it has fared well during the tournament, holding three consecutive opponents under 60 points.

“This is what kids dream of,” Wagler said. “I know I dreamed of this when I was growing up, playing in the Final Four, competing for a national championship. … We’re not done yet.”

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