Even with squeaky Yaxel, Michigan blasts Arizona in Final Four thanks to supporting cast
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Even with squeaky Yaxel, Michigan blasts Arizona in Final Four thanks to supporting cast
Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY·USA TODAY Sports
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3 min read
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INDIANAPOLIS — A Final Four matchup of high-scoring offenses was instead decided byMichigan's defense, which heldArizonain check and delivereda 91-73 winto send theWolverinesto Monday night's national championship game.
Michigan won despite the extended absence of All-America forwardYaxel Lendeborg, who battled foul trouble andan apparent lower-body injuryand played a season-low 14 minutes. He still managed to score 11 points on 3 of 4 shooting.
Without Lendeborg serving as the focal point, the Wolverines leaned on centerAday Mara, who had a career-best 26 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks. Point guardElliot Cadeauhad 13 points and 10 assists while guardTrey McKenneyadded 16 points while hitting 6 of 9 attempts.
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines dunks the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) scores against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
Yaxel Lendeborg #23 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts with teammates against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
Yaxel Lendeborg #23 and Trey McKenney #1 of the Michigan Wolverines react while playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots the ball against Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines looks on against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines dunks the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Andy Lyons, Getty Images)
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines defends Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
Elliot Cadeau #3 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots a three pointer against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
Elliot Cadeau #3 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) in action against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) shoots over Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) shoots over Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney (1) in action against Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) shoots over Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) shoots against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) goes to the basket against Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) shoots against Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots over Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
A general view as Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats and Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines jump for the ball during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
1/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines dunks the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
1/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines dunks the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
2/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) scores against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
3/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Yaxel Lendeborg #23 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts with teammates against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
4/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Yaxel Lendeborg #23 and Trey McKenney #1 of the Michigan Wolverines react while playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
5/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots the ball against Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
6/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines looks on against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
7/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines dunks the ball against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Andy Lyons, Getty Images)
8/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
9/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Morez Johnson Jr. #21 of the Michigan Wolverines defends Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
10/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Elliot Cadeau #3 of the Michigan Wolverines shoots a three pointer against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Michael Reaves, Getty Images)
11/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Elliot Cadeau #3 of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
12/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) in action against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
13/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) shoots over Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
14/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) shoots over Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
15/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney (1) in action against Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
16/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) shoots over Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley (0) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
17/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) shoots against the Arizona Wildcats in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
18/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) goes to the basket against Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
19/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) shoots against Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)
20/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots over Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
(Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images)
21/21
Arizona vs Michigan, Final Four championship stakes. See photos
A general view as Motiejus Krivas #13 of the Arizona Wildcats and Aday Mara #15 of the Michigan Wolverines jump for the ball during the first half in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana
(Patrick Smith, Getty Images)
Arizonawas led by forwardKoa Peat's 16 points, though the freshman made just 6 of 18 shots from the field. Overall, Arizona shot 36.6% and committed 14 turnovers. The Wildcats came into the semifinal ranked 11th with an average of 86.5 points per game.
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Thanks to a suffocating style that unsettled Arizona's tempo, Michigan took a 26-10 midway lead through the opening half despite losing Lendeborg, who picked up two quick fouls and then limped off the court later in the half to have his ankle re-taped.
After returning to the Wolverines' bench with about five minutes to go, Lendeborg was escorted back to the locker room and didn't return until entering the lineup to open the second half.
The Wildcats finally gained their footing with a 13-2 spurt to make it 28-23 with 6:43 to play until halftime. Michigan answered with a quick 7-2 run of its own and pushed the lead to as many as 18 points before heading into the break ahead 48-32.
The 48 points were the most in the first half of a national semifinal sinceNorth Carolinahad 49 against Villanova in 2009.
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Both teams went into halftime with foul issues.Morez Johnsonjr., Mara and McKenney also had two fouls for the Wolverines. Arizona guardJaden Bradleypicked up three fouls, limiting him to just 11 minutes in the first half, while star freshmanBrayden Burrieshad two fouls and was 0 of 5 from the field.
The Wolverines kept their foot down coming out of the break, pushing the lead to 53-32 on a Lendeborg 3-pointer with 17:47 to play. That edge grew to 23 points at 64-41 on a Mara dunk with 14 minutes left and then ballooned to 27 points under two minutes later.
Michigan would continue to control the flow of the game on both ends, answering every brief Arizona run with a key bucket while forcing the Wildcats into increasingly difficult looks thanks to its lengthy frontcourt.
After the Wolverines went in front 77-47 with 10:31 to play, the only question left in this matchup asked they'd become the first team to score 100 points in the Final Four sinceMichigan Statein 1979.
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While they came up short of the century mark, the Wolverines' 91 points were the program's most in a semifinal since beatingPrinceton94-76 in 1965.
Michigan is chasing the program's second national title. The Wolverines previously reached the title game in 1965, 1976, 1989, 1992-93, 2013 and 2018, winning it all in 1989.
