Michigan Wallops Arizona In Final Four, Earns Spot In National Championship

INDIANAPOLIS — This was supposed to be the game of the year, the battle between the two most dominant teams this season. It was supposed to be a dog fight.

This was not supposed to be a blowout.

Thwarting the expectations of any rational college basketball fan, the No. 1 seed Michigan men's basketball team (36-3) demolished fellow No. 1 seed Arizona (36-3) by a final score of 91-73. With the win, the Wolverines advanced to the National Championship Game in emphatic fashion.

Despite the lopsided final score, the first half was an emotional rollercoaster for the Wolverines, and graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg was at the front of it all.

Not two minutes into the game, Lendeborg had already accrued two fouls. While Lendeborg generally plays without fouling, head coach Dusty May simply couldn't take the gamble on this stage, so he took Lendeborg out of the game. immediately.

If they were at a disadvantage with Lendeborg out, though, the Wolverines didn't show it. They ripped off an 8-0 run to open up a 10-1 lead, punching the Wildcats in the mouth. And by the time 10 minutes had elapsed, Michigan had blasted to a 26-10 advantage.

May put Lendeborg back in the game, trusting his ability to play a clean half, but the Wolverines received their second punch in the gut.

Driving to the basket, Lendeborg took a hard foul. He returned to his feet, his left knee clearly in pain, trying to walk off the injury to no avail. He made both of this free throws before heading back to the locker room.

Seeing their emotional leader go down in pain, the wind began to fall out of Michigan's sails. Arizona put together a 9-0 burst to bring its deficit to a manageable 28-23, and the Wolverines' hot start no longer seemed sustainable.

But just like the beginning of the game, Michigan rallied in the absence of its star.

The Wolverines put the pedal to the floor, applying pressure on defense and running in transition whenever possible. Behind Aday Mara's 15 points and five rebounds, they took a 48-32 lead into halftime, even with Lendeborg logging only five minutes.

As the second half commenced, one could have assumed that senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. would start in Lendeborg's absence. But that wasn't the case. After some mobility work during warmups, Lendeborg took the court in his usual place.

It didn't take him long to announce his reappearance in the stat sheet either, as he knocked down two 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the half to help massage the lead up to 22 points at 56-34.

There was simply nothing Arizona could do. Every shot it took was challenged, and everything Michigan shot was money.

Freshman guard Trey McKenney didn't shy away from the bright lights, tossing in back-to-back 3-pointers and letting the crowd know it. Not to be outdone, junior guard Elliot Cadeau sank back-to-back triples of his own.

The display was bordering on absurd. With 10:31 to play, Michigan led by 30 points.

The Wildcats started to figure it out, and the Wolverines hit a cold spell, but the damage was already done. Arizona worked its deficit to within 20 points at 83-64, but with 5:29 left to play, the game was decided.

The Michigan victory wasn't surprising, but the way it got the job done was certainly unforeseen. Total dominance, wire to wire.

And with the win, the Wolverines get a chance to play for the national championship on Monday, just how they drew it up.