INDIANAPOLIS, IN — With the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball March Madness Tournament scheduled for tonight, Saturday, April 4th, there will be a ton of Latin talent battling it out on the hardwood of Lucas Oil Stadium.
2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four
-No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini (28-8) vs. No. 2 UConn Huskies (33-5) – 6:09PM ET/3:09PM PT on TBS/TNT/TRUTV and HBO MAX
-No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (35-3) vs. No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (36-2) – 8:54PM ET/5:54PM PT on TBS/TNT/TRUTV and HBO MAX
To start off for a trip to the national championship, with No. 3 Illinois, the Fighting Illini’s bench includes freshman guard Brandon Lee (San Juan, Puerto Rico)—the son of Butch Lee, who became the first Puerto Rican to ever play in the National Basketball Association.
Whereas Butch had his own March moments during his iconic playing career, leading Marquette to capturing the national championship in 1977, Brandon’s older brother Matthew did the same—playing a key role for Saint Peter’s as the Peacocks made a magical run to the Elite Eight in 2022.
Brandon Lee cutting down the net last Sunday in Houston, Texas with his teammates and coaches as Illinois won the South Regional Final to punch their ticket to the Final Four – Image Credit: Illinois Men’s Basketball
“Just helping the legacy continue, and learning from them and what they did,” Lee told Latino Sports this week in Indianapolis of the honor of playing in March Madness, just like his father and older brother did.
Brandon later added that he has gotten the upper-hand recently in his one-on-one games against Matthew, stating, “Yeah a couple fights, we play one on one so much. He always cheats but I have been winning that as of lately.”
Along with Brandon on the player’s side, the Fighting Illini’s coaching staff features Associate Head Coach Orlando Antigua, who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the Bronx, New York, attending St. Raymond’s High School.
Antigua graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1995 after an incredible collegiate basketball playing career and soon after became the first player of Latin descent to play for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Orlando Antigua has played a major part in the Fighting Illini’s success each season of him being on the coaching staff but his non-stop work throughout the 2025-2026 season may top it all – Image Credit: Illinois Men’s Basketball
“It was a calling,” Antigua revealed to us on why he transitioned from playing to coaching. “When I initially started, it was just kind of a way of staying in shape, and then I was asked to help a high school team, and once I started doing it, it felt like I was destined to be doing that. It was taking the experiences and the knowledge that was shared with me, impacting kids, and you trying to give back with that, those experiences, and seeing if I could empower some kids in the same way a lot of the coaches empowered me.”
On the opposing end of Illinois’ Final Four matchup Saturday is UConn and Huskies’ redshirt senior guard Malachi Smith of the Bronx, New York, with Puerto Rican roots from his father Elliot Rosado who is from Puerto Rico.
Smith, a consistent spark and provider of energy on defense and pro-like facilitator on offense, has stepped up in major ways for UConn throughout the Huskies’ first four March Madness games—four points/seven assists vs. No. 15 Furman (Round of 64), two points/six assists vs. No. 7 UCLA (Round of 32, three points/seven assists vs. No. 3 Michigan State (Sweet Sixteen) and nine points/two assists vs. No. 1 Duke (Elite Eight).
“This is probably the highest level I have ever played in and to be here, playing for my city where I’m from, New York, and my dad’s side of Puerto Rico, it’s amazing,” Smith said during UConn’s Final Four Media Availability. “I just want people to see—whoever’s watching that—you can do it.”
Last but definitely not least is Michigan Wolverines graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg, born in Puerto Rico, with Dominican heritage from both of his parents who each played for the Dominican Republic National Basketball team during their playing careers.
With his decision proving to be the right move for him and his development before venturing off for the NBA, Lendeborg, named the 2026 Big 10 Conference Player of the Year, transferred from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) following his senior year (2024-2025) to Michigan for one final year of College Basketball.
Every game he has played in thus far—averaging 15.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, & 3.3 APG—whether it be at home in Ann Arbor, Michigan or on the road across the country, Lendeborg has felt the support from Latinos behind him, stating, “It’s an honor. Every time a Dominican page posts me, you see so many comments with just the flag, the people from the island that support me, it’s amazing, and, I wanna do whatever I can to support you guys and just show you I really care.”
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