One Team Seek Historic Final Four Berth in Star-Studded Elite Eight

One remaining team has never been to the Final Four, and an epic blue blood matchup awaits after the Sweet 16.

Head coach Rick Barnes of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on March 27, 2026. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

While the Sweet 16 mostly looked like a lineup of men’s college basketball blue bloods ready to vie for supremacy, one advancing team to the Elite Eight hasn’t made a Final Four before.

And it’s not Iowa, the No. 9 seed in the South Region. The Hawkeyes made Final Four appearances in 1955, 1956, and 1980.