March Madness Rankings: ESPN ranks starting players in 2026 Final Four from 1 to 20

With March Madness down to the Final Four, ESPN ranked all 20 starting basketball players who will be featured this weekend. They ranked them from the best to No. 20.

And that’s not taking anything away from guys in any way, shape, or form. All have their roles and could be the difference maker in making or even winning the national championship.

So without further ado, let’s dive into ESPN’s latest March Madness rankings. We’ll start with the best player remaining.

1. Yaxel Lendeborg, F – Michigan

Lendeborg is ESPN’s top player remaining in March Madness. Michigan might be the title favorite for most amongst the Final Four as well.

Over the last three games, Lendeborg is averaging 25 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He’s also shooting an incredible 61.4% from the floor and 52.6% from three. He’s also regarded as one of the best defensive players in the country.

2. Keaton Wagler, G – Illinois

Wagler has starred as a freshman all season long and he’s next up on ESPN’s list of best players in March Madness. Illinois is certainly going to need him when it comes to trying to win a championship.

To get to the Final Four, Wagler had a double-double in the Sweet 16 against Houston and then 25 points against Iowa in the Elite Eight. What does he have next?

3. Tarris Reed Jr., C – UConn

The best player on UConn this year is Reed, per ESPN’s March Madness rankings. UConn is back in the Final Four for the third time in four years.

He had an insane performance to start the tournament against Furman: 31 points and 27 rebounds. Reed also put up 26 points in the comeback win over Duke in the Elite Eight.

4. Brayden Burries, G – Arizona

Burries is the first of four Arizona players in the March Madness Top 10, per ESPN. The freshman has shown up when it counts all season long for the Wildcats.

When he’s not putting up 20+ points a night, Burries excels on the glass and in the assist department. He makes this Arizona team go.

5. Koa Peat, F – Arizona

Another Arizona freshman in the March Madness top five! Peat is peaking right now, if such a thing is possible for this talented player.

His Sweet 16 performance was, well, sweet: 21 points. He also had 20 points and seven rebounds in the Elite Eight win over Purdue.

6. Jaden Bradley, G – Arizona

Bradley is not a freshman, but rather a senior at Arizona. But he’s next up on the March Madness list and perhaps lower than a Big 12 Player of the Year should be.

Still, he captains this Arizona team even if he’s not the flashiest player on the squad. A low-key, but very important stat, as ESPN pointed out, is that Bradley is 81% on his free throws and has better than a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio.

7. Alex Karaban, F – UConn

Karaban’s been around the block for UConn across multiple editions of March Madness. He’s been a part of two national titles for the Huskies and could very well help them win a third in 2026.

He struggled against Duke, sans the final moments. However, he had 22 points vs. Furman, 27 vs. UCLA and 17 vs. Michigan State.

8. Aday Mara, C – Michigan

Mara is only one of two Michigan players in the Top 10 among the remaining March Madness teams. Still, he’s an important big man!

Dusty May has a history of success with big men playing basketball for him throughout his career. Good luck getting by him, as Mara is one of the best defensive players in college basketball, shooting 38% from around the rim against him and 28% from three-point range.

9. Silas Demary Jr., G – UConn

ESPN put Demary a little lower on its March Madness players list than it would’ve liked, but only due to his health. His high ankle sprain in the Big East Tournament has been a factor.

Still, he put up 11 points against Duke in just 23 minutes. With additional time off before the Final Four, he could be a bigger factor against Illinois.

10. Motiejus Krivas, C – Arizona

Krivas has been one of the best players at Arizona on a loaded roster under Tommy Lloyd. ESPN marked him as the most impactful player on the roster as the Wildcats look to close out March Madness with a national title. 

According to their metrics, Arizona is nearly 16 points better than its opponent when Krivas is on the court. As long as he’s healthy, they will be extremely tough to beat when he’s on the floor.

March Madness starters ranked No. 1 to 20

11. Morez Johnson, F – Michigan
12. Braylon Mullins, G – UConn
13. David Mirkovic, F – Illinois
14. Ivan Kharchenkov, F – Arizona
15. Elliot Cadeau, G – Michigan
16. Tomislav Ivisic, C – Illinois
17. Solo Ball, G – UConn
18. Kylan Boswell, G – Illinois
19. Nimari Burnett, G – Michigan
20. Jake Davis, F – Illinois