Michigan laid waste to Arizona. So much for the de facto national championship game. That semifinal was an annihilation game.
The No. 1 Wolverines enter the national title game against No. 2 UConn as a clear favorite.
Advertisement
Here are five reasons Michigan will win — and one reason it won’t:
Michigan vs UConn prediction, spread: Who is favored to win national championship?
Five reasons Michigan will beat UConn to win national championship
1. Nobody looks better than Michigan in this tournament
UConn has been playing well since halftime of the Duke game, but nobody has looked more dominant than Michigan throughout this entire tournament. The Wolverines won their past five games by an average margin of 21.6 points, with no game closer than a 13-point margin against Alabama in the Sweet 16.
In wins against Arizona and Tennessee, Michigan left no doubt by halftime as to which direction the game was headed. The Wolverines did it against Arizona despite star player Yaxel Lendeborg barely playing in the first half because of foul trouble and injury.
Advertisement
UConn can’t expect to rally against Michigan the way it did against Duke.
2. Wolverines have sufficient experience
Old teams win in March Madness. That’s a cliché for a reason — because it plays out time and again. Duke’s young team wilted in the second half against UConn. Arizona started three freshman in the semifinal loss to Michigan. You saw how that went.
Michigan’s national title hopes don’t rest on the shoulders of teenagers. The Wolverines start two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. They’ve got ample depth, too, which became apparent and impressive while they established a commanding lead against Arizona even without Lendeborg on the court.
Advertisement
3. Michigan’s frontcourt is big and dominant
The length and wingspan of Michigan center Aday Mara is so extreme, he can almost dunk without ever leaving the floor.
The size of Michigan’s starting frontcourt goes like this: 7-3. 6-9. 6-9.
Nobody can match that. These aren’t big stiffs, either. The 6-9 Lendeborg went 3 for 3 from 3-point range against Arizona. He’s a good assist man, too.
UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. — he’s 6-11 — came up big in the Final Four win against Illinois. The Huskies will need Reed to be at his best against Michigan, but he’ll need help, too.
Dan Hurley called his shot: Tarris Reed Jr. would be X-factor for Final Four run
Advertisement
4. Michigan plays tough defense
Somewhat lost in the fact that Michigan has topped 90 points in every game of the tournament is the fact that the Wolverines play tough defense. Arizona shot just 37% against Michigan.
Analytics guru Ken Pomeroy ranks the Wolverines No. 4 nationally for offensive metrics.
And, Michigan’s defensive rating? No. 1.
5. Michigan plays with winning attitude
This team is locked in and playing with swagger and guts. The Wolverines showed against Arizona they’re about more than one man, winning big on a night when the team’s star, Lendeborg, played only 14 minutes.
Fact is, they have multiple stars. They’re sufficiently battle tested, having faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules. In Dusty May, they have one of the nation’s best coaches on the sideline.
Advertisement
Simply put, the Wolverines just believe they should win. And, so, they do.
One reason Michigan won’t beat UConn
Taking down a dynasty is tough work
Michigan is the nation’s best team, but UConn is a dynasty, and dynasties are difficult to topple. Ask Duke.
UConn can match Michigan’s experience, and its winning attitude.
As Huskies coach Dan Hurley put it after UConn rallied against Duke, “We just believe we’re supposed to win this time of year.”
They usually do.
UConn’s 3-point shot can be an equalizer, too, if the Huskies get hot. They made 12 3-pointers against Illinois, after going 9 of 21 from distance in a Sweet 16 win against Michigan State.
Advertisement
UConn needs Reed to be tough on the interior and for Alex Karaban, Braylon Mullins, Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. to get their 3-point shots falling.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 reasons Michigan basketball will beat UConn for national championship
