The 2026 Men’s Final Four is just around the corner, as the final (and most important) weekend of college basketball arrives in full force to kickoff the month of April.
The Final Four returns to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis this season for the first time since 2021, when Gonzaga, Baylor, Houston and UCLA made the final weekend. Baylor would go on to cut down the nets over Gonzaga for the first national championship of the Scott Drew era.
Here’s a full breakdown of everything you need to know heading into the Final Four.
Men’s Final Four schedule
The Final Four will take place on Saturday, April 4, 2026 with Game 1 set for 6 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. Game 2 is slated for approximately 8:30 p.m. ET on the same court following the conclusion of Game 1.
| Teams | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 TBD | 6 p.m. ET | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| Game 2 TBD | 8:30 p.m. ET | Lucas Oil Stadium |
Location
The 2026 Final Four will be contested in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. It will mark the ninth time that the city has played host to the final college basketball weekend of the year, and this April will be the fourth time the Final Four has been played at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Here’s a full breakdown of the previous Final Four results in Indianapolis.
| Year | Participants | Champion | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Louisville, UCLA, Iowa, Purdue | Louisville over UCLA | Market Square Arena |
| 1991 | Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, UNLV | Duke over Kansas | RCA Dome |
| 1997 | Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota | Arizona over Kentucky | RCA Dome |
| 2000 | Michigan State, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin | Michigan State over Florida | RCA Dome |
| 2006 | Florida, UCLA, George Mason, LSU | Florida over UCLA | RCA Dome |
| 2010 | Duke, Butler, West Virginia, Michigan State | Duke over Butler | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| 2015 | Duke, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan State | Duke over Wisconsin | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| 2021 | Baylor, Gonzaga, UCLA, Houston | Baylor over Gonzaga | Lucas Oil Stadium |
| 2026 | TBD | TBD | Lucas Oil Stadium |
Contenders
This season, three teams in particular have stood above the rest. Duke is enjoying its best season of the Jon Scheyer era, powered by the play of All-American forward Cameron Boozer. Michigan is in year two of a renaissance led by Dusty May, who has leaned on the play of a star-studded frontcourt trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. Finally, Arizona has been the class of a loaded Big 12, with star guard Brayden Burries leading the way alongside Jaden Bradley in a loaded Wildcats backcourt. All three teams captured regular season crowns in their respective conferences by finishing 29–2.
Aside from the big three, Florida has come on strong in an effort to defend their national championship. The Gators rolled out a very different group this season, but Todd Golden has his team plaing great basketball in the second half of the season to emerge as a contender once again.
Speaking of contenders, Houston lost to Florida in the national championship last season, and like the Gators returned to contention this season with a very different roster. Freshman guard Kingston Flemings has been key to the Cougars' quest to contend once again, combining an elite offensive game with above average defense.
Finally, UConn is just two years removed from its last national championship, and is looking to win its third in four seasons in the final season of the Alex Karaban era. Karaban is flanked by Tarris Reed Jr., Solo Ball, Braylon Mullins and Silas Demary Jr. as the Huskies' core five.
How to Watch
This season, TBS will hold the broadcast rights for the Final Four and national championship games as part of a broadcasting partnership with CBS that has been in place since 2016. In even-numbered years since 2016, TBS has broadcast the Final Four and national championship games, while CBS has carried the coverage in odd-numbered years.
| Game | Date | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Four Game 1 | Saturday, April 4 | 6:00 p.m. ET | TBS |
| Final Four Game 2 | Saturday, April 4 | 8:30 p.m. ET | TBS |
| National Championship | Monday, April 6 | 8:30 p.m. ET | TBS |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NCAA Men’s Final Four 2026: Schedule, Location, Contenders and How to Watch.
