Michigan didn’t take much time to make it clear it is the favorite to win the national championship.
The Wolverines blitzed Arizona in the first half on the way to a 91-73 Final Four win. Michigan will play UConn on Monday night in the national title game. And it was the fifth time in five games during the 2026 NCAA tournament that Michigan scored at least 90 points.
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Michigan led by 16 at halftime as the Wildcats faced their largest deficit of the season just halfway into the first half when the Wolverines were up 26-10. And it was far from a perfect half for Michigan too. That’s how much Michigan outplayed Arizona.
Star Yaxel Lendeborg picked up two fouls in five seconds less than two minutes into the game. He exited with 18:38 to go, but returned to the game minutes later. Not long after his return, Lendeborg landed on the foot of Arizona’s Matiejus Krivas while driving to the lane and his left ankle twisted awkwardly.
Lendeborg tried to walk it off, but was forced to leave the game and head to the locker room. He didn’t return for the rest of the half as he limped around with a brace on his knee. But Michigan did not need him. Nor was he the only Michigan forward with two fouls in the first half.
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Morez Johnson and Aday Mara also had two fouls in the first half. So did sixth man Trey McKenney. If you’d told a Michigan fan before the game that Lendeborg would play five minutes and he’d have two fouls along with Johnson, Mara and McKenney, that fan would be fearing a 30-point halftime deficit.
Instead, Michigan simply piled it on Arizona even though the Wolverines shot just 42% from the field. Michigan’s defense forced nine turnovers and Big 12 player of the year Jaden Bradley picked up three first-half fouls for the Wildcats.
The Wolverines also had 12 assists on 17 field goals. Elliot Cadeau was just 2-of-14 in the first half — he shot the ball early and often — but also had six assists to just one turnover in the first 20 minutes.
Mara, meanwhile, had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Arizona seemed to be the biggest test for Michigan’s frontcourt, but Mara got what he wanted near the rim, and Johnson added eight points and four rebounds of his own.
Lendeborg makes his mark in the second half
Per the TBS broadcast, Lendeborg was dealing with an ankle issue along with an MCL sprain. He returned to the court with a freshly taped ankle and a brace on his left knee. And immediately established himself as the best player on the court.
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Michigan quickly extended the lead to 21 early in the second half as Lendeborg drained consecutive 3-pointers and McKenney also kept making shots.
The Wildcats needed to cut into Michigan’s halftime lead early if it wanted to have a chance at a comeback.
But that biggest deficit of the season got even larger. This was supposed to be a matchup between the two best teams in college basketball. We got a blowout instead.
Michigan led by as much as 29 points with 11:41 to go. At that point, it was plainly obvous that UConn could stop worrying about scouting Arizona in its preparations for Monday night.
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Michigan is looking for its first title since 1989
Michigan’s win means that one of the wildest geographical stats in sports continues. Arizona’s last title came in 1997, as the Wildcats marched to the national championship as a No. 4 seed.
It’s also the last time a team west of the Central Time Zone has won a national title. That streak will now reach 30 years as both Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Storrs, Connecticut, are both safely in the Eastern Time Zone.
Michigan not only has a chance to break a long title drought of its own, but the Wolverines will also be looking to snap the Big Ten’s winless streak. Michigan State’s 2001 title is the last time a team from the conference has won the national championship while UConn is looking for its third title in four seasons.
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It’s the first national title game for Wolverines coach Dusty May after he led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023. FAU was seconds from making the national title game that season, but a Lamont Butler shot at the buzzer sent San Diego State to the title game against UConn in a 72-71 win for the Aztecs.
