What would be the most random, most fun Final Four combination possible in 2026?
By Adam Spencer
Published:
I was having a discussion with someone about hypothetical Final Four fields the other day, and that got me thinking — what would be the most random and most exciting group of 4 teams that could make it to Indianapolis this year for the NCAA Tournament semifinals?
I realize the brackets have yet to come out, so this will be an exercise I revisit after Selection Sunday. But for now, this will serve to look around the country and recognize some fun teams that don’t get a ton of attention.
Will all of these squads make deep runs in the tournament? Probably not, but they’ll all be teams no one wants to face.
I gave preference to schools that play at a fast pace. It’s not a lot of fun to watch mid-major programs try to grind pace to a halt against bigger foes. I want up-tempo, fast-paced, high-scoring action, and 3 of the 4 teams listed below provide exactly that.
So, without further ado, here is the most random, most exciting potential Final Four combination I could come up with that actually at least has a non-zero chance of happening:
1. Nebraska (23-4 overall, 12-4 in Big Ten)
This is the one exception I made to my rule of favoring teams that play at a fast pace. Nebraska ranks No. 201 in the nation in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. Still, what a story the Cornhuskers would be. Nebraska has never won a single game in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, you read that correctly. The Cornhuskers are 0-8 all-time in March Madness. They’re the only power conference team that has never won a tourney game.
It would be an incredible disappointment if Fred Hoiberg’s squad didn’t end that dubious distinction this year. But how crazy would it be if Nebraska not only won its first NCAA Tournament game ever, but won 4 of them to make it to Indianapolis?
Yeah, that’s the kind of thing we’re looking for in this piece.
Nebraska has the talent. Rienk Mast, Pryce Sandfort and Sam Hoiberg lead the way for perhaps the best Huskers squad ever. Will March success finally come this year? We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.
Will Nebraska or Santa Clara make a run to the Final Four this year? Here’s what Kalshi has to say about 2 of my 4 longshot Final Four squads:
2. Saint Louis (25-3 overall, 13-2 in A10)
Robbie Avila became a semi-famous name around the country when he led Indiana State to a second-place finish in the 2024 NIT. Now at Saint Louis, Avila’s scoring numbers are down (12.4 points per game this year compared to 17.3 at SLU last season and 17.4 PPG for Indiana State during the 2023-24 campaign), but that says more about the talent around him.
Coach Josh Schertz has put together an A10 juggernaut that boasts perhaps the most well-balanced offense in the nation. A whopping 5 players average 10+ points and a grand total of 7 players average 9.5 points pre game or more (prior to Tuesday night’s loss at Dayton). Anyone can beat you on any given night, which takes a lot of pressure off of Avila.
He still runs the offense, leading the team with 4.2 assists per game from the center spot. but Trey Green, Dion Brown, Amari McCottry, Quentin Jones, Ishan Sharma and Kellen Thames are all quality players who can score.
If Saint Louis makes the tournament and goes on a run, expect searches for “what is a Billiken?” to skyrocket.
3. Miami (OH) (28-0 overall, 15-0 in MAC)
The RedHawks are perhaps the most polarizing team in the country this year. On one hand, they’re a perfect 28-0. On the other, their nonconference slate was softer than Charmin and the MAC isn’t going to be mistaken for the Big Ten any time soon.
Our Saturday Down South bracketology expert, Sonny Giuliano, had Miami (OH) as an 11-seed prior to Tuesday night’s win at Eastern Michigan. My opinion is this — lots of teams play soft nonconference schedules and don’t play in the strongest leagues, and no one other than Miami (OH) is currently undefeated.
There’s a lot to like about this Miami squad. The RedHawks play with the No. 43 pace in the country and have the No. 58 overall offensive rating, per KenPom. Elite numbers? No. But we see surprises every March.
It would certainly prove a lot of doubters wrong if the RedHawks became the first team from the MAC ever to advance to the Final Four. The furthest a MAC team has ever advanced is the Elite Eight, which has been done twice (Kent State in 2002 and Ohio in 1964).
4. Santa Clara (23-6 overall, 14-2 WCC)
Those 2 losses in WCC play? Those both came against Gonzaga, which is hardly a knock on the Broncos. Santa Clara is 1-0 against Saint Mary’s in WCC play, with a trip to Moraga on the schedule for Wednesday night.
Santa Clara is No. 35 overall in the KenPom rankings — 1 spot behind Auburn and 1 spot ahead of Ohio State. The Broncos have the No. 25 offense in the nation, the No. 55 defense and play at the No. 47 overall adjusted pace.
The school that produced Steve Nash, Jalen Williams and Brandin Podziemski has another strong guard in Christian Hammond, who doesn’t receive much national attention, but averages 16.4 points per game as a sophomore:
Don’t sleep on Elijah Mahi (14.4 PPG) and Allen Graves (11.1 PPG) in the front court, either. This is a solid squad, worth staying up late to watch. Tipoff at Saint Mary’s is set for 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
