NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The Chainsmokers, the electronic music duo, performed between Final Four games Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, marking the first-ever Final Four concert for the NCAA tournament.
However, some fans, including prominent figures in sports, were not happy with the NCAA’s decision to make the performance happen in the first place.
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy, ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt and others took their frustrations to social media as they watched The Chainsmokers take the stage after UConn’s win over Illinois in the first Final Four game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
The Chainsmokers perform between games during the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 4, 2026. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“This Chainsmokers concert between games plays like someone lost a bet,” Portnoy tweeted Saturday night. “I like the Chainsmokers, but nothing has ever made less sense than this.”
One of the main reasons fans had an issue with the concert was the start time for Michigan-Arizona, which was written as 7 p.m. 8:49 PM ET. However, tipoff did not come until around 9:20 p.m., which was an hour after UConn-Illinois finished.
UCONN’S DAN HURLEY HEARS THE BOOS AFTER FINAL FOUR WIN OVER ILLINOIS
Portnoy is a well-known Michigan fan, so he was very happy to see the delay didn’t hurt his Wolverines in the end. But Van Pelt was also shocked to see the performance take place.
“Who asked for this?” he wrote on social media. A fan followed up in the comments asking what he had against the Chainsmokers.
The Chainsmokers perform between games during the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 4, 2026. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
“Not one thing. Just a strange place,” Van Pelt replied.
Michigan easily handled Arizona in its 91-73 win, leading by 30 points at one point in the contest. They face UConn in the national championship game Monday night at Lucas Oil.
Wolverines senior star Yaxel Lendeborg was injured in the win, though he is battling through a sprained MCL and an ankle injury. He was asked if there was any chance he would miss the national title game, to which he replied, “Absolutely not,” according to Yahoo Sports.
Lendeborg played only 14 minutes and scored 11 points with three rebounds and one assist.
The Chainsmokers perform between games during the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 4, 2026. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
It was Aday Mara who led the charge for the Wolverines on the offensive end as he drained 11 of his 16 shots for 26 points with nine rebounds and three assists. Trey McKenney also added 16 points off the bench for Dusty May’s crew, including four three-pointers.
Michigan returns to the national championship game for the first time since 2018, which they lost to Villanova, 79-62.
