SAN JOSE, Calif. — For the first time since 2001, the Arizona Wildcats are headed to the Final Four.

The top-seeded Wildcats punched their ticket with a 79-64 win against No. 2 Purdue, setting the school record for wins in a season (36) in the process. The previous wins record had stood since 1988, when Arizona reached the first of its four Final Fours — including the national title in 1997 — under legendary coach Lute Olson.

Shortly after the game ended, Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd held a microphone and spoke to the jubilant, heavily pro-Arizona crowd at the SAP Center.

“I know this,” he said. “There’s a good-looking guy with white hair looking down on us right that happy.”

The reference to Olson, who died in 2020, brought even more cheers from Arizona fans.

“Lute’s given me a great life,” Lloyd said. “He and I shook hands only a few times, kind of in a handshake line or something at a game. … His legacy in Tucson is so powerful that he’s the guy, there’s others before him, but he’s the main catalyst to make our program the center of the community.”

But this year’s team, in Lloyd’s fifth season in Tucson, has a chance to surpass all its predecessors as the best in school history. The Wildcats will take a 13-game winning streak to Indianapolis, where they will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Michigan and Tennessee.

Lloyd’s impact at Arizona has been historic. The longtime Gonzaga assistant’s 148 wins over the past five seasons are an NCAA record for most wins by a coach in their first five seasons, eclipsing the record set by Brad Stevens at Butler. He guided the Wildcats to 33 wins in his first year and had three trips to the Sweet 16 in his first four seasons. But the Final Four had remained elusive — until Saturday.

Against a veteran Purdue team, Arizona was led by its talented freshmen. The Wildcats’ three freshmen starters — Brayden Burries (14), Ivan Kharchenkov (18) and Koa Peat (20) — combined for 52 points and were unphased by the biggest stage of their young careers. Senior guard Jaden Bradley added 14 points.

Arizona jumped out to a 19-12 lead at the 12:37 mark of the first half and looked like it might be ready to put the Boilermakers to bed early. But even after Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up an early second foul, Purdue started to claw its way back.

One key change came when coach Matt Painter inserted sophomore big man Daniel Jacobsen into the game just as Arizona’s lead stretched to seven. The 7-foot-4 Jacobsen had played just four combined minutes in the previous two games and had mostly been out of the rotation this month, but his size was needed against Arizona, and his presence helped shift the tide. But it didn’t last.

Inside the locker room at halftime, Lloyd addressed the team before leaving them with a parting message.

“I said, ‘Guys, the coaching staff and I are going to leave right now. You guys got a few minutes to talk amongst yourselves and kind of figure this deal out and let’s go kick their ass in the second half,”‘ Lloyd said.

Arizona needed just over five minutes in the second half to reclaim the lead and slowly pulled away.

“I was literally a spectator just like you guys were in that second half,” Lloyd said. “That’s what it felt like.”

Purdue (30-9) falls short of its second Final Four in three seasons, and the loss spells the end of one of the great careers in college basketball history in Braden Smith, who broke Bobby Hurley’s career assist record earlier this season and finishes with 1,103. Smith led Purdue with 13 points but was just 4-of-15 from the field.

During Purdue’s last possession, with the game’s outcome having long been decided, Smith looked at Painter as if to ask whether to dribble it out or keep playing. Painter told him to play and what followed was a final assist to Fletcher Loyer, who added to his Purdue record with one final 3.

“Braden was [a great player] for us for four years,” Painter said. “Very, very consistent, very competitive, good guy.”

Half of the Final Four is set with Illinois and Arizona punching their tickets to Indianapolis following second-half comebacks in Saturday’s Elite Eight.

ESPN’s college basketball crew breaks down how both matchups were decided — and how each winner has put together a run this deep into March.

Relive the live action

How Arizona won: For the first time since 2001, the Wildcats are headed to the Final Four. Against a veteran Purdue team, Arizona was led by its talented freshmen — Brayden Burries (14), Ivan Kharchenkov (18) and Koa Peat (20) combined for 52 points, unphased by the biggest stage of their young careers. Senior guard Jaden Bradley added 14 points.

The Wildcats looked ready to put the Boilermakers to bed early after jumping to a 19-12 lead at the 12:37 mark of the first half. But even after Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn picked up an early second foul, the Boilermakers clawed their way back. One key change came when Purdue coach Matt Painter inserted sophomore big man Daniel Jacobsen, just as Arizona’s first-half lead stretched to seven points. The 7-foot-4 center had played just four combined minutes in the previous two games, but his size was much-needed and his presence helped shift the tide. It didn’t last long, though. Arizona needed less than six minutes into the second half to reclaim the lead before pulling away.

The Wildcats broke the program record for single-season wins (36) that had stood since 1988, when Arizona reached its first of four Final Fours under legendary coach Lute Olson. This team, under fifth-year coach Tommy Lloyd, has a chance to pass all of them as the best in school history. — Kyle Bonagura

The Wildcats’ Final Four opponent: Winner of Michigan vs. Tennessee (Sunday)

No. 1 factor that helped Arizona reach the Final Four: The Wildcats’ relentlessness in the paint has been unparalleled, and it carried them when it mattered in the NCAA tournament.

For the season, Arizona ranked fifth in the country in paint points, averaging more than 42 in that area. It also led the nation in free throw attempts with nearly 20 points per game. Against another dominant paint team in Arkansas in the Sweet 16, Arizona had perhaps the most efficient interior performance ever seen in March: The Wildcats had 60 paint points and 30 points from the free throw line, the most combined points in an NCAA tournament game in the past 20 years. Then, after Purdue matched them down low in the first half of their Elite Eight showdown, the Wildcats played with an increased sense of urgency and imposed their will in the second half. The Wildcats finished with 40 paint points and 20 points from the free throw line, outscoring the Boilermakers by a combined 28 points in those areas.

It’s not just the post scoring from Peat or Motiejus Krivas, or the offensive rebounding from Tobe Awaka — it’s also the relentless attacking from Bradley, Burries and Kharchenkov. Tommy Lloyd preaches paint points, and it’s reflected in every aspect of his team’s offense.

How Illinois won: Brad Underwood believes that a team’s best player should have the green light. His star freshman Keaton Wagler certainly had it Saturday, scoring 25 points to send the program to its first Final Four in 21 years, ending Iowa’s Cinderella-like run.

Wagler was the captain of the ship, but the Fighting Illini’s victory looked far from a guarantee early. Down 12-2 to start, they struggled to find a solution for Hawkeyes star Bennett Stirtz. The second-team All-Big Ten selection had 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting by halftime. They also didn’t score until the 16:17 mark of the first half — their second-longest stretch without a point to open a game this season, per ESPN Research. But they were able to contain Stritz after the break, limiting him to 2-for-6 shooting in the second half while also heating up to score 43 of their 71 points in the final 20 minutes. — Myron Medcalf

play

Andrej Stojakovic’s late and-1 helps send Illinois to Final Four

Andrej Stojakovic drives to the paint and scores the and-1 bucket as Illinois beats Iowa to reach its first Final Four in 21 years.

The Fighting Illini’s Final Four opponent: Winner of Duke vs. UConn (Sunday)

No. 1 factor that helped Illinois reach the Final Four: The Illini’s offense is one of the most efficient in KenPom history, but it was their defense that sparked this run to Indianapolis. They held VCU to 55 points and 0.83 points per possession in the round of 32, Houston to 55 points and 0.94 points per possession in the Sweet 16 and then Iowa to 59 points and 1.08 points per possession in the Elite Eight. They have protected the rim and the paint at an incredibly high level, limiting all three of the aforementioned opponents to below 48% inside the arc. Iowa had just seven 2-pointers Saturday.

It’s a dramatic improvement from their defensive performance late in the regular season, when the Illini allowed six of their last nine opponents to score at least 1.17 points per possession, suffering five of their eight losses over that stretch. Their offense hasn’t missed a beat, but their defense suddenly looking like a top-10 unit has been a season-changing development for Brad Underwood’s team. — Jeff Borzello

Relive Saturday’s Elite Eight

Half of the 2026 men’s Frozen Four is set, with North Dakota and Wisconsin earning trips to Las Vegas to play for the national championship.

The Fighting Hawks, who were the top seed in the Sioux Falls regional, advanced with a 5-0 rout of Quinnipiac, while the Badgers won the Worcester regional with a 4-3 overtime victory over top seed Michigan State.

This is North Dakota’s first Frozen Four appearance since 2016, when it won the national title. Wisconsin is in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2010.

The other two spots will be determined Sunday in the regional finals at Albany, New York, where Michigan plays Minnesota Duluth, and Loveland, Colorado, where Denver meets Western Michigan.

The six winners of their conference tournaments earned automatic berths, with the next top 10 teams in the NPI rankings filling out the NCAA field. The four regional winners will advance to the Frozen Four at Las Vegas on April 9 and 11.

Every game of the men’s hockey tournament will air on the ESPN networks and will stream live on the ESPN App. The Frozen Four semifinals will air on ESPN2 and the final airs on ESPN.

Below is the complete schedule for the tournament, video features and a look at each of the 16 teams in the field.

Jump to a section:
Video features | Teams at a glance

Schedule

All times Eastern.

Worcester (Massachusetts) Regional

Semifinals, Thursday
No. 1 Michigan State 2, No. 4 UConn 1
No. 3 Wisconsin 5, No. 2 Dartmouth 1

Final, Saturday
Wisconsin 4, Michigan State 3 (OT)

Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Regional

Semifinals, Thursday
No. 3 Quinnipiac 5, No. 2 Providence 2
No. 1 North Dakota 3, No. 4 Merrimack 0

Final, Saturday
North Dakota 5, Quinnipiac 0

Albany (New York) Regional

Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Michigan 5, No. 4 Bentley 1
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth 3, No. 3 Penn State 1

Final, Sunday
Michigan vs. Minnesota Duluth, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Loveland (Colorado) Regional

Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Western Michigan 3, No. 4 Minnesota State 1
No. 2 Denver 5, No. 3 Cornell 0

Final, Sunday
Western Michigan vs. Denver, 3 p.m., ESPN2

FROZEN FOUR
at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

National semifinals, April 9
Wisconsin vs. North Dakota, 5 or 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Albany winner vs. Loveland winner, 5 or 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

National final, April 11
5:30 p.m., ESPN

Highlights

play

Wisconsin scores winner 24 seconds into OT to book ticket to Frozen Four

Ben Dexheimer buries the winning goal in overtime for Wisconsin to knock off Michigan State and reach the Frozen Four.

play

Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. Minn. Duluth Bulldogs Game Highlights

Penn St. Nittany Lions vs. Minn. Duluth Bulldogs Game Highlights

play

Cornell Big Red vs. Denver Pioneers Game Highlights

Cornell Big Red vs. Denver Pioneers Game Highlights

play

Minnesota St. Mavericks vs. Western Mich. Broncos Game Highlights

Minnesota St. Mavericks vs. Western Mich. Broncos Game Highlights

play

Bentley Falcons vs. Michigan Wolverines Game Highlights

Bentley Falcons vs. Michigan Wolverines Game Highlights

Top storylines

NIL and college hockey: Will big-money behemoths skew the sport’s balance of power? Adam Rittenberg

Michigan’s Michael Hage: How hockey helped the Wolverines star cope with tragedy. Emily Kaplan

play

How Michael Hage is honoring his father’s legacy for Michigan

Emily Kaplan shares how Michael Hage is carrying his late father’s legacy with him on the ice for Michigan.

play

Penn State’s Frozen Four run draws top prospect Gavin McKenna

After a historic run to the Frozen Four, the Penn State Nittany Lions inspired generational talent Gavin McKenna to leave Canadian juniors for Happy Valley.

play

Zacch Wisdom’s journey has been anything but easy

P.K. Subban shares the story of how a childhood of struggle turned into a way out through the game of hockey for Western Michigan’s Zacch Wisdom.

play

How Providence men’s hockey has built a winning culture

With just one senior on the roster, the Friars have leaned into their youthful core in one of the most compelling success stories of the season.

play

How Quinnipiac’s Ethan Wyttenbach has quickly made a name for himself

Jeremy Schaap tells Ethan Wyttenbach’s story after the Quinnipiac freshman led the nation in scoring with 58 points in 38 games.

play

How Rand Pecknold built Quinnipiac into a college hockey powerhouse

The Quinnipiac Bobcats had no rink or winning tradition until Rand Pecknold made them into one of most formidable programs in college hockey.

Teams at a glance

Records, statistics entering NCAA tournament

Worcester Regional

No. 1 Michigan State

Record: 25-8-2

NPI ranking: 3

How the Spartans got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-3-2 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten semifinal)

NCAA history: 30th appearance; seeking 12th Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2007). … Third straight NCAA appearance after 11-year absence. … Lost to Cornell in first round as No. 1 seed in 2025.

Fast fact: Michigan State’s roster features four first-round NHL draft picks and 15 picks overall, both the most among tournament teams.

No. 2 Dartmouth

Record: 23-7-4

NPI ranking: 6

How the Big Green got here: ECAC champion

Last 10 games: 6-1-3 (beat Princeton in ECAC final)

NCAA history: Fifth appearance; seeking fifth Frozen Four and first national title. … First NCAA appearance since 1980.

Fast fact: Sophomore Hayden Stavroff, an undrafted NHL free agent, leads the country with 29 goals. He has seven goals and five assists in his last eight games.

No. 3 Wisconsin

Record: 21-12-2

NPI ranking: 12

How the Badgers got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten quarterfinal)

NCAA history: 29th appearance; seeking 13th Frozen Four and seventh national title (last won in 2006). … In the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons under coach Mike Hastings.

Fast fact: Wisconsin’s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, with a 14-2-2 start and 6-2 finish but a 2-7 stretch in between. The Badgers lost 7-1 to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament the last time they took the ice.

No. 4 UConn

Record: 20-12-5

NPI ranking: 14

How the Huskies got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East final)

NCAA history: Second appearance; seeking first Frozen Four and first national title. … Recorded program’s first NCAA victory last year, beating Quinnipiac in first round before falling to Penn State in regional final.

Fast fact: UConn rebounded from a 1-4-2 closing stretch of the regular season to advance to the Hockey East final, then made the NCAA field as the last at-large team.

Albany Regional

No. 1 Michigan

Record: 29-7-1

NPI ranking: 1

How the Wolverines got here: Big Ten champion

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (beat Ohio State in Big Ten final)

NCAA history: 42nd appearance; seeking 29th Frozen Four appearance and 10th national title (last won in 1998). … Missed tournament last year after making four straight appearances.

Fast fact: Michigan is the highest-scoring team in the country (4.57 goals per game) and has the best power play (31% conversion rate). The Wolverines converted two of three chances in the Big Ten final against Ohio State.

No. 2 Minnesota Duluth

Record: 23-14-1

NPI ranking: 8

How the Bulldogs got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC final)

NCAA history: 16th appearance; seeking ninth Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2019). … First NCAA appearance — and first winning season — since 2022. … Had made eight straight tournaments before that.

Fast fact: The Bulldogs’ special teams are just that: They are second nationally in power-play conversions (29.9%) and third in penalty killing (89.3%).

No. 3 Penn State

Record: 21-13-2

NPI ranking: 9

How the Nittany Lions got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Michigan in Big Ten semifinal)

NCAA history: Sixth appearance; seeking second Frozen Four and first national title. … Defeated 1-seed Maine and 2-seed UConn in 2025 regionals before losing to Boston University in national semifinal. … All six NCAA appearances have come in the past 10 years.

Fast fact: Highly touted freshman Gavin McKenna, expected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NHL draft, ranks second in the country with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 34 games.

No. 4 Bentley

Record: 23-11-5

NPI ranking: 23

How the Falcons got here: Atlantic Hockey champion

Last 10 games: 7-3 (beat St. Thomas in Atlantic final)

NCAA history: Second appearance; seeking first Frozen Four and first national title. … Lost 3-1 to top overall seed Boston College in last year’s tournament.

Fast fact: Bentley hasn’t lost in nine overtime games this season (4-0-5).

Sioux Falls Regional

No. 1 North Dakota

Record: 27-9-1

NPI ranking: 2

How the Fighting Hawks got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost to Minnesota Duluth in NCHC semifinals)

NCAA history: 36th appearance; seeking 23rd Frozen Four and ninth national title (last won in 2016). … Fifth NCAA appearance in the past seven years.

Fast fact: North Dakota has only two regulation losses since Nov. 28: 3-2 vs. Denver on Jan. 17 and 5-1 to Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC tournament.

No. 2 Providence

Record: 23-10-2

NPI ranking: 7

How the Friars got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-3-0 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East quarterfinals)

NCAA history: 17th appearance; seeking sixth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2015). … Lost to Denver in first round as 2-seed in 2025 tournament. … Second straight NCAA appearance after five-year absence.

Fast fact: The Friars rolled to their first regular-season Hockey East title, going 14-2 to close their schedule before losing to No. 8 seed Merrimack 3-2 in overtime in the conference quarterfinals.

No. 3 Quinnipiac

Record: 26-9-3

NPI ranking: 10

How the Bobcats got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Clarkson in ECAC quarterfinals)

NCAA history: 12th appearance; seeking fourth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2023). … Lost to UConn in first round of 2025 tournament. … Sixth straight NCAA appearance and 11th in 14 seasons.

Fast fact: Ethan Wyttenbach, a 19-year-old freshman, leads the NCAA with 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 38 games. He was a fifth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in last year’s NHL draft.

No. 4 Merrimack

Record: 21-15-2

NPI ranking: 19

How the Warriors got here: Hockey East champion

Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (beat UConn in Hockey East final)

NCAA history: Fourth appearance; seeking first Frozen Four appearance. … First NCAA bid since 2023 (first-round loss to Quinnipiac).

Fast fact: Sophomore goalie Max Lundgren leads the country with 1,109 saves (.920 percentage). He made a career-high 49 stops, 22 in the third period, in the Warriors’ win over UConn in the Hockey East championship game.

Loveland Regional

No. 1 Western Michigan

Record: 26-10-1

NPI ranking: 4

How the Broncos got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 7-2-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC semifinals)

NCAA history: 11th appearance; seeking second Frozen Four and second national title (won last year). … Defeated Denver in national semifinals and Boston University in championship game in 2025.

Fast fact: Western Michigan faced one of the toughest schedules in the country, going 9-6 against ranked opponents.

No. 2 Denver

Record: 25-11-3

NPI ranking: 5

How the Pioneers got here: NCHC champion

Last 10 games: 9-0-1 (beat Minnesota Duluth in NCHC final)

NCAA history: 34th appearance; seeking 20th Frozen Four and 11th national title (last won in 2024). … Defeated overall No. 1 seed Boston College in regional final last year before losing to Western Michigan in national semifinal. … Has reached Frozen Four three of the past four seasons.

Fast fact: No one is hotter than the Pioneers, who extended their unbeaten streak to 13 (12-0-1) in winning the NCHC championship with a 4-3 double-overtime victory over Minnesota Duluth.

No. 3 Cornell

Record: 22-10-1

NPI ranking: 11

How the Big Red got here: At-large bid

Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost to Princeton in ECAC semifinals)

NCAA history: 26th appearance; seeking ninth Frozen Four and third national title (last won in 1970). … Beat 1-seed Michigan State in first round last year before losing to Boston University in regional final. … Has made eight of the past nine tournaments, with first-year coach Casey Jones picking up where longtime coach Mike Schafer left off.

Fast fact: Cornell has the stingiest defense in the country, allowing 1.94 goals per game.

No. 4 Minnesota State

Record: 22-10-7

NPI ranking: 13

How the Mavericks got here: CCHA champion

Last 10 games: 6-2-2 (beat St. Thomas in CCHA final)

NCAA history: 12th appearance; seeking third Frozen Four and first national title. … Eighth tournament appearance in the last nine years. … Lost to eventual national champion Western Michigan in double overtime in first round of last year’s tourney.

Fast fact: The Mavericks are in the tournament for the second straight year under Luke Strand after making the field in nine of 11 seasons under Mike Hastings, who left after the 2020-21 season to coach Wisconsin.