Big Ten has 4 teams in the NCAA regional finals, seizing the March Madness spotlight from the SEC

Michigan had just dispatched Alabama to advance in the NCAA Tournament when coach Dusty May was asked about his top-seeded Wolverines becoming the latest Big Ten team to eliminate a Southeastern Conference opponent.

“You know, college basketball has been cyclical forever,” May said after Michigan's 90-77 win in the Midwest Region semifinals. “Hopefully this is a long cycle for us in the conference.”

For this year, at least, the Big Ten has snatched the March Madness spotlight that was locked on the SEC last year.

The Big Ten had a league-record six teams reach the Sweet 16 and now has tied the tournament record with four teams in the Elite Eight, increasing its chances of breaking through for the league's first title in more than a quarter-century. That includes an all-Big Ten matchup in Saturday's South Region title game that will send either No. 3 seed Illinois or No. 9 seed Iowa — which upset reigning national champion Florida in the second round — out of Houston and on to Indianapolis for the Final Four.

No other league has more than one team in this weekend's regional finals.

“The talent in our league is very good,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said Friday, ahead of his team's West Region final against top-seeded Arizona. “I think you’re seeing that here in the tournament. Like very good. I think it’s been about as good as it’s been for a long, long time.”

The results are backing that up.

Only three leagues had put four teams in the regional finals since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985: the Big East in 2009, the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2016 and the SEC last year.

Now the Big Ten has done it, too, after getting three teams to the Elite Eight four other times, most recently in 2014. And the league nearly got five teams there, with Michigan State losing a tight contest with UConn on Friday night.

Last year, all the talk was about the SEC's records of 14 tournament bids and seven Sweet 16 teams. This year, the Big Ten is the standout, with four of its teams having taken out SEC opponents so far — including Purdue beating Texas on Thursday and Michigan's win against Alabama.

It could add a fifth, too, with the Wolverines set to play Tennessee in the Midwest Region final on Sunday.

It shouldn't be a surprise, considering the Big Ten had a national-best six teams ranked in the AP Top 25 entering the NCAA Tournament, while its nine bids were behind only the SEC's 10.

First-year Iowa coach Ben McCollum, who has the program in its first regional final since 1987, admitted he was “curious” as to how difficult his first run through the league would be. His team went just 11-11 between Big Ten regular-season and tournament play, yet here it is, playing for a Final Four spot.

“The good part is it helped a lot of us in the tournament,” McCollum said Friday of the league's difficulty. “I think sometimes it can hurt you too, just because you get beat up a little bit, maybe lose your confidence. It helped us from a process perspective and we continued to grow and get better, and be better and better as long as we focused on that.”

The Big Ten's run marks the second straight year that the two most cash-flush conferences have dominated the tournament. The Big Ten generated the most revenue ($928.1 million) and distributed the most to its member schools ($63.1 million average) for the 2023-24 season, according to tax documents.

That figure outpaced the SEC's $839.7 million in total revenue and $52.6 million in average payout to full members for that same season, which is the most recent year in which all power conferences have filed tax documents. And that only helps when it comes to managing the always escalating costs for staff, facilities and roster building.

“I know our league is incredibly tough,” May said Friday night. “The coaches are off the charts, but I want to give the administrations a lot of credit. There’s a bunch of well-run athletic departments in the Big Ten.”

The only trick now is for the league to get a team to the final Monday night of the season and actually cut down the nets. The Big Ten hasn't had a school win the tournament since Michigan State gave Izzo his lone title in 2000.

“I think the Big Ten Conference is the best conference in the world,” Wolverines senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said Thursday. “Obviously we want everybody in the Big Ten to be successful. But just kind of seeing the success that the conference has had in the tournament is really good. And I think it speaks to how good we were in the season to be able to finish first.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Iowa head coach Ben McCollum directs his team during the first half against Nebraska in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Illinois forwards Ben Humrichous (3), Jake Davis (15) and other players react during the first half against Houston in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Michigan's Elliot Cadeau celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Alabama, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of Tarris Reed Jr.'s few weaknesses is free-throw shooting.

With the season in the balance, the UConn big man came through at the line.

Reed scored 20 points, Alex Karaban added 17, and both made pressure-packed free throws in the final minute that helped second-seeded UConn hold off third-seeded Michigan State 67-63 in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Reed, a 59% foul shooter this season, made all four of his attempts in the final minute.

“I feel like I put in the work. The guys around me were like, ‘T, trust. We see you do free throw game every day, You put in the work every day and we see you at the free-throw line,'” Reed said. “So I took a deep breath and took my time at the line.”

The Huskies (32-5) led 61-60 when Reed made two foul shots with 44.8 seconds to play. Then Jeremy Fears Jr. made two for Michigan State with 32.3 remaining.

Karaban was fouled with 22.5 seconds to go. He made both ends of a one-and-one to give UConn a three-point lead, and after Michigan State was unable to find a quick shot, Kur Teng's 3-pointer missed.

A foul was called on the Huskies on the rebound with 4.6 seconds remaining. Carson Cooper made the first for Michigan State. He missed the second — it did not appear to be intentional — and Reed rebounded. His two free throws effectively sealed the win.

UConn advances to a true heavyweight clash in Sunday's final of the NCAA Tournament's East Region against top-seeded Duke.

Michigan State (27-8) overcame an early 19-point deficit but bowed out on a night the Spartans shot just 4 of 16 from 3-point range.

“Give our guys credit. We bounced back and picked away,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “Our goal in the second half was to play much better. We just kind of wore down.”

The four teams that arrived in Washington this week have combined for 13 national titles, so it was no surprise that both games Friday were pulsating. Duke’s 80-75 win over St. John’s in the opener came down to the last few seconds.

It looked at first like the second game wouldn’t. Malachi Smith, Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart combined for four 3-pointers during a 15-1 run that put UConn up 25-6. The Spartans had to clamp down defensively over the final three minutes just to trail 35-27 at halftime.

Michigan State scored the first seven points of the second, but the Huskies pushed back. After a steal and dunk by Reed put UConn back up by six, Huskies coach Dan Hurley began waving his arms wildly at the fans behind his bench, exhorting them to be louder.

The Spartans didn’t waver. A three-point play by Jaxon Kohler with 10:06 to play put Michigan State up 45-44.

A short scoring drought by the Spartans allowed UConn to take a 56-49 lead, but it stayed tight until the end. The Huskies led 58-57 when Karaban — who was crucial all night — made a 3.

“He’s a calming influence for me,” the excitable Hurley said before pausing. “I’m waiting for you to laugh. It’s like having an associate head coach that is in the locker room, that lives in the apartments, that is in the dining, that is in the weight room, that’s peer pressuring his teammates to do extra. It’s like having a top assistant that’s on your team and always around your players.”

Stewart, who had been sidelined since late February because of a knee injury, came back and played 3 minutes for UConn, connecting on his only 3-point attempt.

Michigan State: Cooper and Kohler are both seniors, but Izzo is showing little sign of slowing down at this stage of his career.

UConn: The Huskies' matchup with Duke might feel more like a Final Four game. In fact, they met in the 1999 title game, with UConn winning.

This version removes an erroneous reference to Ball’s layup making it 56-49.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

UConn forward Alex Karaban (11) celebrates a three pointer against Michigan State during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Michigan State center Carson Cooper (15) and UConn forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) vie for the ball during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

UConn forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) rebounds over Michigan State center Carson Cooper (15) during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Michigan State forward (55) waves to fans after the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against UConn, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

UConn forward Jayden Ross (23) celebrates with forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) and forward Alex Karaban (11) against Michigan State during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)