The 2018 Final Four is set. This year’s teams include the perennial powerhouses but also the underdogs who no one expected. The Final Four games will be held in San Antonio, Texas, with the No. 3 seed Michigan facing No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago, and No. 1 seed Villanova facing No. 1 seed Kansas. No matter what their path through the tournament, each of these teams has made it to the Final Four and is looking to win it all.  

 Michigan was the hottest team coming into the tournament and has maintained their reputation through the tournament thus far. They won the Big Ten Tournament before beating Montana in the round of 64, then Houston in the round of 32. In the Sweet Sixteen they beat Texas A&M and finished paving their road to the Final Four with an Elite 8 win over Florida State. They have what some would call a favorable matchup against Loyola-Chicago, but the Cinderella team will look to upset them.  

 Loyola-Chicago also won their conference tournament and has continued to tear up the tournament. They have been the surprising team throughout, being dubbed this year’s Cinderella. The No. 11 seed is just the fourth No. 11 seed ever to make the Final Four. They reached this point by upsetting each team they faced. First they beat Miami in the round of 64, then Tennessee in the round of 32. They then beat Nevada in the Sweet Sixteen and punched their ticket to the Final Four by beating Kansas State. Once they face Michigan. they will look to become the lowest seed to ever make the championship game. Sophomore Bryce Washington added, “I think it’s amazing how well that they’ve played. Nobody really expected them to make it this far, but I have definitely gotten on the their bandwagon and hope they win it all.”

 Kansas has continued their reign from the regular season and the Big 12 Tournament throughout the tournament. They beat Penn in the round of 64 before beating Seton Hall in the round of 32. They continued their dominance in the Sweet Sixteen by beating Clemson and then beating another ACC foe, Duke, in the Elite Eight. They will look win their fourth national championship this year, but will first have to play Villanova to get there.

 Villanova is back in the Final Four this year for the second time in the past three years. They also were extremely dominant in winning the Big East Tournament. In the round of 64, they faced off against Radford and then beat Alabama in the round of 32. They then played West Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen and Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. they have yet to face a major challenge and are going into the Final Four as the favorite to win it all.  

 This year’s tournament has been a treat to watch for all fans no matter what team you pull for. The excitement has been astonishing so far, and it is hard to see it not continuing here in the Final Four.  The tournament is now down to the last four teams, and the National Champion will be named at the end of it all.