Michigan basketball crushes Arizona in Final Four showdown, sets up championship game vs. UConn on Monday

INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines are advancing to their first NCAA Tournament National Championship since 2018, after taking down the No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats 91-73 in the Final Four, and will take on the UConn Huskies on Monday.

The Wolverines led by as much as 28 points in the game, which was kicked off by Elliot Cadeau, who was getting whatever he wanted in the matchup.

Cadeau controlled the game, finishing with 13 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds in the matchup.

Michigan jumped out to a 10-1 lead without their best player as Yaxel Lendeborg picked up two fouls in 1:22 to open the game.

But Michigan jumped out to a 16-5 lead at the 14:27 mark, thanks to stellar defense that forced four turnovers and precision passing by Cadeau.

Leading by 14, Arizona went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to seven.

Michigan weathered the storm to take a 48-32 lead at the half and ended up taking a 27-point lead in the second half and didn’t look back.

Aday Mara was the leading scorer with 26 points in the victory, but the story after the game will be Lendeborg’s health ahead of the title game on Monday.

With the victory on Saturday (April 4), head coachDusty May won his 63rd game in a two-year span out of 76 games with the Wolverines, moving him into a three-way tie with Bruce Weber (2003-2005) and Tubby Smith (1997-1999) for most wins in a coach’s first two seasons as head coach of any school, all time.

The victory also moved him one game behind John Calipari (2009-2011) for most wins in their first two seasons as head coach of any school and put the Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament championship game for the first time since 2018.

In the matchup of the No. 1 seeds on Saturday (April 4) inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Fab Five came together to call an alternate broadcast in the arena for the first time in over 30 years for the victory.

The atmosphere was electric as fans got to see Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson, who, alongside Adam Lefkoe, relived their Michigan moments as they watched their alma mater advance to the title game, where they will take on Bill Murray and the UConn Huskies on April 6.

With the victory, Michigan improved to 8-1 in the Final Four, with its lone loss coming in 1964 against Duke, whom the Wolverines wanted to play in the title game to seek revenge for an early February defeat.

1st half

The Wolverines won the tip, and Aday Mara cleaned the glass for an offensive rebound and a putback to take a 2-0 lead.

Yaxel Lendeborg picked up his first foul of the game on a Koa Peat drive before picking up his second on a Jaden Bradley drive, sending him to the line for two with 18:38 to play.

Bradley missed the first but made the second to score the team’s first point of the game.

Roddy Gayle Jr. entered the game for Lendeborg before Nimari Burnett drilled a corner three-pointer to take a 5-1 lead.

Elliot Cadeau made a floater before finding Morez Johnson Jr., down the lane for a contested layup, getting fouled and sent to the line, making the and-one as Michigan led 10-1.

Bradley hit a jumper over Cadeau to cut the deficit to 10-3 before Mara stepped out of bounds on the next possession, timeout with 15:59 play in the half.

Out of the timeout, Tobe Awaka cleaned the glass for the putback before Gayle Jr. found Mara for an alley-oop jam to take a 12-5 lead.

Ivan Kharchenkov traveled on the next possession, before Johnson Jr. cleaned the glass and found Mara under the basket for an easy bunny.

Cadeal got a steal on the next possession and found a leaking Trey McKenney for the fastbreak slam as Arizona called a timeout, trailing 16-5 with 14:27 to play.

Out of the timeout, Dwayne Aristode drilled a three-pointer, but Cadeau countered with a three-pointer of his own to take a 19-8 lead, but Motiejus Krivas made a contested jumper in the post.

Cadeau drew a charge on Bradley on the next possession, but Johnson Jr. got called for traveling as Michigan led 19-10 with 12:34 to play.

Lendeborg entered the game and hit a three-pointer from a Cadeau assist, taking a 22-10 lead, before Aristode got the ball stolen from him by Lendeborg, who found McKenney on a one-on-three fastbreak, leading to a deflection out of bounds with Michigan keeping the ball.

Timeout with 11:34 to play.

Michigan couldn’t convert out of the timeout, but Michigan got another defensive stop before Cadeau tried to hit Will Tschetter in the corner, but he couldn’t control the pass as it went out of bounds.

Michigan got a defensive stop, and Cadeau found a cutting Johnson Jr., who got hammered at the rim, sending him to the line for two, making both to take a 24-10 lead with 10:35 to play.

Mara played good defense on the other end and then cleaned the glass on offense to take a 16-point lead, but Peat made a contested layup to cut the deficit to 14.

McKenney turned the ball over on offense, leading to a fastbreak, but he got back on defense and got a block before Peat made a jumper to cut the deficit to 12.

Lendeborg got hurt on the following possession, rolling his ankle.

He walked it off, tied up his Air Jordan 13 Carmelo Anthony player exclusives, and hit both free throws before exiting the game.

Up 14, Johnson Jr. picked up his first foul, sending Peat to the line for two, making both as the deficit was cut to 12.

Arizona turned defense into offense as Kharchenkov drilled a three-pointer, got another defensive stop, and found Krivas for a contested jumphook, causing Michigan to take a timeout, up 28-21 with 7:21 to play.

After leading by 28-14, Arizona went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to seven.

After the timeout, with the Wildcats fans back in the game, Mara picked up his second foul, claiming he was hooked and held by Krivas, prompting May to appeal the play for a flagrant foul with 6:56 to play.

The appeal was unsuccessful, costing Michigan a timeout on the play.

With Mara headed to the bench, Arizona fed Krivas for a jumpshot to extend the run to 9-0 before Gayle Jr. made a massive jam to stop the run, but Krivas got fouled by Johnson Jr., picking up his second of the half.

Krivas bricked the first free-throw, but McKenney got called for a foul, sending Kharchenkov to the line for a one-in-one, missing as Michigan got the defensive rebound.

Johnson Jr. couldn’t convert, but Michigan got a defensive rebound, and Cadeau found Burnett for an up-and-under layup to push the lead to 32-23.

Bradley got called for his third foul of the game before Cadeau missed a layup, which was cleaned up by Johnson Jr., who found McKenney for a wide-open three-pointer to take a 35-23 lead before Arizona called a timeout with 4:35 to play.

McKenney got called for his second foul, sending Brayden Burries to the line for a one-in-one, making the first and the second to stop the run.

Up 10, Cadeau missed a floater, but Arizona missed a bunny at the rim, leading to a Gayle Jr. corner three-pointer to take a 13-point lead before Krivas got called for an offensive foul, his second of the game, leading to an official’s timeout with 3:21 to play.

Michigan couldn’t convert on the possession, leading to an Awaka contested layup, but Mara drew a foul, sending him to the line to complete a three-point play.

Michigan forced a turnover on the next possession, leading 41-27 with 2:26 to play.

Mara caught a lob on the next play and then got fouled again on the following possession, sending him to the line for a one-in-one, making both as Michigan led 45-27 with 1:45 to play.

Anthony Dell’orso drilled a three-pointer, but Johnson Jr. got fouled on a dunk attempt, making the free-throw to complete the and-one.

Awaka made a contested bunny.

Arizona got a stop on the other end and had the ball on the inbounds before turning the ball over to Michigan, who couldn’t convert as they led 48-32 at the half.

2nd half

Both teams came out of the half stagnant, but a loud pop was heard as Lendeborg returned to the game.

Cadeau found Mara for the slam, followed by a Lendeborg rebound and three-pointer, before Kharchankov made a driving layup.

Krivas picked up an offensive foul, his third of the game, as Michigan led by 22, as Lendeborg made another three-pointer, before Peat made a jumper and was fouled by Burnett, capping off a three-point play.

Gayle Jr. turned the ball over to Peat, who found a springing Brayden Burries for a driving layup, which got blocked, but was called a goaltend on Johnson Jr.

Out of the timeout, McKenney drained a three-pointer to take a 59-39 lead.

Michigan forced a shot-clock violation, leading to another three-pointer by McKenney.

Awaka made a tip in before Mara made a dunk then Burries made a three pointer before McKenney made a contested jumper.

Kharchenkov got fouled and sent to the line, splitting the pair before Cadeau drained a three-pointer.

Cadeau drained another three-pointer as the lead jumped to 27 with 12:17 to play.

Michigan turned defense into offense as Cadeau found Mara for a lob; he missed but cleaned up his miss for a putback.

Burries made a floater before picking up an offensive foul, sending Cadeau to the floor, and the timeout came with 11:05 to play.

Michigan turned the ball over on the inbounds play, leading to a foul against Kharchenkov.

Burnett got a steal, leading to a McKenney three-pointer, but Peat got an offensive rebound and putback on the other end.

Burnett picked up a foul, sending Bradley to the line for two, making both.

McKenney turned the ball over on the next possession, before picking up his third foul, sending Peat to the line for two, missing the first and making the second, as Michigan led 77-52 with under 10 to play.

Gayle Jr. made a dunk, but Peat hit a three-pointer.

Mara hit a jumper, but Burries hit a three-pointer, followed by a Bradley layup as Arizona cut the deficit to 81-60, before Kharchenkov picked up a foul on McKenney, timeout with 7:33 to play.

Cadeau turned the ball over and picked up his fourth foul, sending Bradley to the line for a one-in-one, making both, cutting the deficit to 19.

Michigan got a stop on the other end and found Johnson Jr. for two points.

Bradley made a jumper to cut the deficit back to 19 with 5;29 to play.

Mara got hacked under the rim before picking up another foul on Awaka, sending him to the line to complete a three-point play, which he did as Michigan led 86-64.

Johnson Jr. grabbed the defensive rebound but got called for an offensive foul on the following possession, sending Awaka to the line for a one-in-one, which he missed.

McKenney got called for an offensive foul with 4:30 to play.

Bradley made a circus shot as Arizona trailed by 20 with under four minutes to play.

Cadeau made a floater to push the lead back to 20.

Tschetter got called for a foul, leading to a timeout with 3:02 to play.

Michigan went on to roll Arizona.