The 2027 Men's College Basketball Semifinals, commonly referred to as the Final Four, is the penultimate round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Sixty-eight teams compete in a single-elimination bracket each spring, with the Final Four being the last two games before the national championship. The semifinals are played on a Saturday, with the winners advancing to the Monday night title game. The 2027 tournament will be the 88th edition of the NCAA tournament, with the Final Four scheduled to be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, marking the city's third time hosting the semifinals (1998, 2004, and 2027). The event draws millions of television viewers, generates hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising revenue, and is one of the most wagered-on sporting events in the United States. The identity of the four semifinalists is unknown until the regional finals are completed the weekend before, making prediction markets a popular way to bet on which teams will reach this stage. The 2027 tournament field will include automatic bids from 32 conference champions and 36 at-large selections chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee. The committee evaluates teams based on metrics such as the NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings, strength of schedule, and quality wins. The 2027 semifinals will feature teams from both the East, West, Midwest, and South regions, with the winners of each regional bracket advancing to San Antonio. Historically, programs like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas have dominated the Final Four, but recent years have seen increased parity, with schools like San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, and Miami making deep runs. The 2027 tournament will also be the first to feature the new expanded bracket format, which was announced in 2025 and added four more teams to the field. This change increased the number of play-in games and altered the seeding structure, potentially affecting which teams reach the semifinals. The economic impact of the Final Four on the host city is substantial, with San Antonio expecting over $300 million in direct spending from visitors, media, and sponsors. The 2027 semifinals will also be the last to use the traditional regional format before a planned realignment of the tournament structure in 2028.

Historical Context

The NCAA men's basketball tournament began in 1939 with eight teams. The Final Four format, where four regional winners meet for the semifinals and championship, was established in 1952. Since then, the tournament has expanded multiple times: to 32 teams in 1975, 64 in 1985, and 68 in 2011. The 2027 tournament will be the first with 72 teams, following the NCAA's 2025 decision to expand the field. This change adds four more at-large bids and two additional play-in games, potentially allowing more mid-major programs to reach the semifinals. Historically, the Final Four has been dominated by blue-blood programs. UCLA holds the record with 18 Final Four appearances, followed by North Carolina (21) and Duke (17). However, recent years have seen increased diversity. From 2020 to 2026, schools like San Diego State (2023), Florida Atlantic (2023), and Miami (2023) reached the Final Four for the first time. The 2024 tournament featured a record three first-time Final Four participants: Alabama, Florida Atlantic, and San Diego State. The 2027 semifinals will be played at the Alamodome, which hosted the 1998 and 2004 Final Fours. In 1998, Kentucky defeated Utah in the championship after beating Stanford in the semifinals. In 2004, Connecticut beat Georgia Tech for the title after defeating Duke in the semifinals. The Alamodome has a capacity of about 65,000 for basketball, making it one of the larger Final Four venues. The 2027 tournament will also be the first to use the new NET-based seeding system, which replaced the RPI in 2018. The NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) uses game results, strength of schedule, and scoring margin to rank teams. The selection committee relies heavily on NET rankings to determine at-large bids and seeding. The 2027 semifinals will feature teams from four regions: East, West, Midwest, and South. Each region's winner advances to San Antonio. The selection committee seeds the entire field from 1 to 72, then places teams into regions to ensure competitive balance and geographic diversity.