Aussie makes March Madness final, compatriot misses out

Australian Jacob Furphy and the University of Connecticut have punched their ticket to the US college basketball national championship game, beating Illinois 71-62 in Indianapolis.

But Furphy's compatriot Anthony Dell'Orso and his University of Arizona have missed out on making the final after being thumped 91-73 by the No.1-ranked Michigan.

Furphy and Dell'Orso were looking to become the latest Australians to be part of a US college basketball championship game roster, following in the footsteps of NBA champion Andrew Gaze and former Chicago Bull and Portland Trail Blazer Luke Schenscher.

They were also looking to join an exclusive club of Australian men to have been members of a winning team, with Justin Brown (1999), Kody Stattmann (2019) and Alex Condon (2025) the only victors.

With Furphy's college beating Illinois in the March Madness Final Four on Sunday (AEST), it means an Australian will be part of consecutive finals for the first time after Condon won last year with Florida.

The 19-year-old Boomer was left on the bench and didn't play, but was still involved in Connecticut's team huddles and timeouts.

Regardless, it's a huge achievement for the freshman, who hails from Smithton, Tasmania, a town almost a five-hour drive from Hobart and with a population of about 4000 people.

Furphy's team was pushed to the end, their double-digit lead cut to four late in the game.

But Connecticut, led by Tarris Reed Jr (17 points, 11 rebounds) and rising star Braylon Mullins (15 points, two steals), held on to secure a third final in four years for the six-time national championship-winning college.

It wasn't meant to be for Dell'Orso, although the Victorian did enjoy some game time (two rebounds, one steal in 18 minutes) in what may be his final game for the college after previously telling AAP he plans to put his name up for the NBA.

His side looked to stage a comeback after a slow start, but their opponents, buoyed by Aday Mara (26 points, nine boards) and Elliot Cadeau (13 points, 10 assists, four steals), ran riot at the end of the first half and start of the second.

Arizona couldn't keep up and missed the chance to win their first national championship since 1997.

Instead, Michigan will look to exorcise their demons and claim a first title since 1989 when they play Connecticut on Tuesday (AEST).

Both Australians were part of the March Madness tournament, a knockout competition that decides the top US college basketball program.

The final is expected to bring in huge audiences after an average of 18.1 million people watched last year's decider.