One of the most hyped games in the modern era of college basketball, wound up as an early coronation for Michigan, as the Wolverines laid an absolute smackdown on Arizona for the full forty minutes in their 91-73 Final Four victory. Michigan started up 10-1, grew the lead to sixteen at half, and eventually led by as much as thirty in the second half.
Aday Mara led the way with a completely dominant twenty-six point, nine rebound game. Trey McKenney made four threes, Yaxel Lendeborg reached double digits, despite an ankle injury taking him out of the middle of the game and holding him to four shot attempts, and Morez Johnson Jr was quietly stellar. For Arizona, star guard Jaden Bradley was completely encumbered by foul trouble and scored just three points in the first half, which Arizona simply couldn't overcome. Koa Peat had a double-double, but no Wildcat was able to put up an above- average performance.
1. Michigan was too good for a game of the century
Choose whatever label you want: a matchup between two of the top three teams all season, the de facto national championship game, or even a clash between the two highest-ranked teams in the Kenpom system (since 1999). Regardless of your chosen narrative, this was the most hyped up game in the sport in the 2020s.
But save for Bradley's foul problems, there was no fluke to this game, no category that Michigan utterly dominated in. The Wolverines wound up with a red-hot second half from deep (7-11), but the game was more or less already out of reach for most of that, and they were a subpar 5-16 in the dominant first half. They barely won the turnover battle (14-13) and even lost the rebound battle (44-40). There was even a difficult-to-evaluate Elliot Cadeau performance, a ten-assist triple nickel with a tough 5-17 from the field.
It was just a simple case of the truest form of greatness, winning in every single facet of the game. Michigan outshot Arizona from all three sections of the floor, holding the Wildcats to 37% (!!!!!!!) from two. Mara beat Mojetunas Krivas nine to six in rebounding and held his fellow star center to eleven points. Michigan led for 39:44 and by double digits for 28:53.
2. Trey McKenney has ascended to future star status
The highly touted freshman had already taken a leap in the NCAA Tournament with an excellent second weekend, but this game was the magnum opus of his debut season. Sharing the biggest stage with the Big Ten and Big 12 Players of the Year, and a 7'4" monster, McKenney jumped off the court in the way that no one else did. He wasn't the best player in the game (that was Mara), but he was the one that you could never take your eyes off of.
Trey McKenney left alone at the top of the key 🔑#MarchMadness @umichbball pic.twitter.com/YMBzxCDEE6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 5, 2026
Throughout his minutes, it felt like Arizona was always chasing McKenney, consistently a step behind. After a pair of quick baskets to start his second half, the confidence grew, and the Wildcats' defense entered into a full panic to contain McKenney. Yet, amidst that excellent performance, he only took nine shots and forced absolutely nothing, letting the Michigan bigs and Cadeau continue to run the offense. There's still a game left before we start a conversation about Trey McKenney's future, but the great Jon Rothstein puts it best: "Buy Stock Now".
3. Let's not pretend that the national title game is going to be a blowout
Yes, Michigan just officially affirmed its position as the best team in the nation this season (the head-to-head loss to Duke being the only viable argument against that statement). Yes, UConn does not have the forward size to properly deal with Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr (and even McKenney). Yes, UConn will likely struggle to prevent a notable disadvantage at the free throw line. And as a result, Michigan will be sizable favorites, and we will spend Sunday being reminded of the Wolverines' dominant November neutral site run.
But UConn is just one win away from incredible history. The Huskies have a chance to join 1951 Kentucky as the only program outside of the John Wooden UCLA teams to win three national championships in a four-year span. Alex Karaban can become the first player since 1975 All-American Dave Meyers (UCLA) to win three titles in his career. With the greatest coach of his generation in Dan Hurley, a center in Tarris Reed who can disrupt Mara, and a seemingly healthier Silas Demery, the Huskies will give Michigan the fight that Arizona (and Tennessee and Alabama) simply couldn't.