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  "path": "/college-sports/2026/03/29/illinois-michigan-big-ten-final-four-championship-drought-michigan-state-spartans-mateen-cleaves-tom-izzo-2000",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-29T22:36:28.679Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>For only the fourth time in the 2000s, the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/college-sports\" target=\"_blank\" >Big Ten</a> has two teams — Midwest Region No. 1 seed Michigan and <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/college-sports/2026/03/28/illinois-iowa-final-four-wagler-stirtz-underwood-mccollum-ncaa-tournament-elite-eight-march-madness\" target=\"_blank\" >South Region No. 3 seed Illinois</a> — in the Final Four of the men’s NCAA Tournament.</p><p>Maybe this time, the conference’s quarter-century-and-counting championship drought will actually come to an end.</p><p>Michigan and West No. 1 Arizona will clash amid game-of-the-year hype in Indianapolis. These have been the best two teams in this tournament, hands down. Not that the semifinal matchup of Illinois and East No. 1 Duke or No. 2 UConn will be lacking a thing.</p><div class=\"RelatedList Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center> <div class=\"RelatedList-title\">Related</div> <ul class=\"RelatedList-items\"> <li class=\"RelatedList-items-item\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/college-sports/2026/03/28/illinois-iowa-final-four-wagler-stirtz-underwood-mccollum-ncaa-tournament-elite-eight-march-madness\" >Illinois Final Four-bound for first time since 2005 after beating Iowa in South Region final</a> </li> <li class=\"RelatedList-items-item\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/college-sports/2025/08/29/illinois-basketball-2005-dee-brown-deron-williams-luther-head-bruce-weber-north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" >Illinois basketball greats of 2005 gather for sweet reunion, championship regrets aside</a> </li> </ul> </div> <p>So, what happened the last three times the Big Ten sent two of its finest onto the grandest stage in college basketball?</p><p><b>2000: 1 Michigan State and 8 Wisconsin</b></p><p>The Big Ten was guaranteed to have a team in the final, because the Spartans and Badgers collided in the semis. How ugly was it? The Spartans went over 11 minutes without a bucket, yet they won easily as the Badgers mustered all of 41 points. Don’t you miss the Dick Bennett days? Season series: 4-0 in favor of the Big Green.</p><p>The Spartans cut down the nets in Indianapolis after beating Florida 89-76 two nights later. Star Mateen Cleaves climbed the ladder gingerly, sprained ankle and all. Tom Izzo’s hair? Black. This remains the league’s last title.</p><p><b>2005: 1 Illinois and 5 Michigan State</b></p><p>Merciless North Carolina dominated the Spartans 87-71, then <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/college-sports/2025/08/29/illinois-basketball-2005-dee-brown-deron-williams-luther-head-bruce-weber-north-carolina\" target=\"_blank\" >nipped the Illini 75-70</a> in the final. It was an anticlimactic end to an amazing season powered by Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head, but the Tar Heels were just a bit better in St. Louis. Too much — make that way too much — Sean May.</p><p>“We went down fighting,” Bruce Weber said. “I can’t ask for more.”</p><p><b>2015: 1 Wisconsin, 7 Michigan State</b></p><p>The Badgers were back in the Final Four for the second straight year and upset unbeaten Kentucky 71-64 in the semis, maybe the greatest night ever for the cheddarheads. But Duke, after blasting the Spartans 81-61, roared back from nine down in the second half of a brutally physical final to <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/2015/4/6/18588836/freshmen-lead-duke-past-wisconsin-for-national-title\" target=\"_blank\" >break the Badgers’ hearts 68-63</a>.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-center><div class=\"Enhancement-item\"> <div class=\"ExternalContent-wrapper\" data-embed> <iframe width=\"200\" height=\"150\" src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/zAT_O_TJais?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen title=\"North Carolina vs. Illinois: Final 5 minutes of 2005 National Championship\"></iframe> </div> </div></div><p></p>",
  "title": "Illinois, Michigan give Big Ten two shots at ending quarter-century-long title drought. Is this the year?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-29T22:40:47.163Z"
}