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The Final Four is scheduled for Saturday night in Indianapolis, as Michigan, Arizona, Illinois and UConn will all battle to reach the national championship game scheduled for Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
But only one of these four teams will become NCAA Tournament champions, and one college basketball legend already has his pick for who will cut down the nets Monday night.
Jimmer Fredette, the BYU great who had his “One Shining Moment” in March Madness in 2011, watched the intense games throughout the tournament to get to this point. He knows exactly who he will be riding with for the rest of the trip.
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Former Brigham Young basketball player Jimmer Fredette salutes during a ceremony to retire his number during halftime of a game between the Cougars and the Colorado Buffaloes at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, February 14, 2026. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
“Honestly, I have Michigan right now. I have Michigan winning everything,” he told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview, while highlighting his partnership with Coca-Cola and their “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work” campaign for the tournament.
It’s hard not to love everything the Midwest Region’s No. 1 seed has put together in this tournament. The Wolverines, led by head coach Dusty May in his second season, have simply dominated the competition they have faced thus far.
In fact, Michigan won by double digits in each of its four tournament games, including a rout of No. 6 Tennessee, 95-62, in the Elite Eight to secure a spot in the Final Four. They are led by forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who has averaged 15.2 points this season, but is averaging 25 per game here in the tournament.
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“I just think their length and size are so unique,” Fredette explained. “They can play a lot of different ways, but that’s a real problem for people, especially in the tournament. It’s hard to game plan on one game. Obviously, they haven’t lost a lot of games this year, and if they lost a game, they were very close. You know when you play them, it’s going to be a fight. It’s going to be a battle.”
Fredette added that May’s coaching in the Final Four previously with Florida Atlantic University (2023) will also play a key factor for the Wolverines.
Yaxel Lendeborg of the Michigan Wolverines reacts after being fouled and scored during the second half of the Elite Eight game of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament against the Tennessee Volunteers at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on March 29, 2026. Michigan won 95-62. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
But Arizona, the No. 1 seed in the West region, could well face Michigan on Saturday night. While Michigan has only lost three games this season, the Wildcats have lost just two in a tough Big 12 Conference schedule.
According to Fredette, this Final Four game is essentially a national championship game before the game itself.
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“Arizona is playing really well right now,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s kind of a national championship game between these two teams. They’re big, they’re long, they’re athletic. They play great basketball. But you never know.”
As for the other matchup — No. 2 UConn, which is coming off a thrilling finish to upset No. 1 Duke, and No. 3 Illinois — Fredette has a winner there, too.
“Obviously, UConn and Illinois are both playing well. I think Illinois, in my opinion, is going to beat UConn, and I think it’s going to be Illinois and Michigan in the final, and Michigan will win it all. So, we’ll see. I’ll probably be completely wrong. That’s the way it works in this tournament. But that’s what I’m seeing right now, and Michigan is playing some of the best basketball you can play.”
3×3 basketball athlete Jimmer Fredette speaks during the Team USA Media Summit at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on April 17, 2024. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images for USOPC)
As Fredette said, the tournament finds a way to make the craziest things happen on a basketball court, living up to the March Madness moniker.
It will be UConn-Illinois kicking off the festivities in Indianapolis on Saturday night at 6:09 p.m. ET, followed by Michigan-Arizona.
THE PERFECT FIT FOR MARCH
From buzzers to overtime thrillers, this year’s men’s tournament has it all in terms of intense, thrilling basketball. But that can leave fans across the country hungry for work, which is why Coca-Cola launched its “Fan Work is Thirsty Work” campaign, which celebrates the fans behind the tournament’s Cinderella stories.
Who doesn’t love the heartwarming Cinderella story of the tournament? While there may still be some top seeds left in the bracket, moments like High Point upsetting Wisconsin in the first round, VCU shocking UNC in overtime, and more truly fueled this year’s fun in March.
The Coca-Cola Glass Sipper is a real size 11 basketball-shaped cup meant to embrace March Madness at this year’s tournament. (Coca-Cola)
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And to make sure fans enjoy Coca-Cola the right way, the brand launched the “Coca-Cola Glass Sipper,” an ode to the famous children’s story that is a personalized size 11 basketball-shaped cup to celebrate the team and fan base whose tournament run defies expectations the most.
“That’s what March Madness is all about — it’s about energy, and that’s what Coca-Cola wants to have in its campaign,” Fredette said. “They want to capture everything that the fans put into every game, and for me, I love the fans. I love playing in front of a packed crowd. They were rowdy, they were so loyal to their schools, and that obviously reflects in the March Madness tournament. Everybody’s a part of it because everybody fills out a bracket. They want to see Cinderella stories. They want to see their brackets go well, [and] they want to choose the right Cinderella. Coke wants to capture that. »
