INDIANAPOLIS — For a few moments, Michigan faced some real adversity early in its much-anticipated Final Four game against fellow No. 1 seed Arizona on Saturday night in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Wolverines’ All-American forward, 6-foot-9 senior Yaxel Lendeborg, picked up his second foul just 1:22 into the game. Then, at the 8:51 mark of the first half, Lendorborg rolled his left ankle badly as he attempted a drive and landed on the foot of Arizona center Motiejus Krivas. It was the same ankle that Lendeborg injured during the Wolverines’ loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament final.
This time, however, Lendeborg also tweaked his left knee. He grimaced and tried to walk off the pain, but he couldn’t. He made two free throws, then stepped gingerly off the court and into the locker room. He received some treatment there for a while, returned to the bench, then retreated back into the locker room. His status for the remainder of the game was very much in doubt.
Michigan was leading 28-14 when Lendeborg got hurt, but instead of seeing its lead wither without him, the Wolverines pushed it to 16 by halftime and to 30 midway through the second half. They coasted home to a 91-73 win, a gaping final score that still was not reflective of Michigan’s thorough domination. The triumph sent the Wolverines into Monday night’s national championship game against UConn, where they will have a very good chance to claim the school’s second national title and end the Big Ten’s 26-year drought without an NCAA Tournament crown.
With Lendeborg hobbling and junior point guard Elliot Cadeau bricking (at one point, he was 2-of-13 from the floor), the Wolverines got quality production from a variety of sources. The biggest was 7-foot-3 junior forward Aday Mara, the UCLA transfer who more than matched up with one of the nation’s top frontcourts and finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. “Aday was sensational,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “He was at the rim, catching lobs. He was a force down low. He was a pressure release up top. I mean, he’s such a smart basketball player.”
Despite finishing 5-of-17 from the floor, Cadeau added 10 assists (to 6 turnovers) and 5 rebounds. Sophomore forward Morez Johnson finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, while freshman guard Trey McKenney poured in 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. As a team, Michigan had 22 assists on 33 field goals and committed 13 turnovers; Arizona had 5 assists and 14 turnovers. Michigan’s win was a collective effort that showcased the team’s resilience as well as its depth.
Michigan’s Aday Mara finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks.
Getty Images
“This game was very indicative of how this group has played throughout the season,” May said. “Unselfish basketball. A connected group who defends, gets out in transition and then shares the basketball.”
Lendeborg was diagnosed with a sprained MCL in his left knee. He said after the game that when he first went down, he believed he would not return. “I tried my best to get up as quickly as possible, to try to not dwell with the pain. You know, try to walk it off. It didn’t get walked off,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was going to be OK. I was really worried. … I definitely had to calm down for a little bit, speak with myself, you know, get out of my thoughts.”
Michigan’s trainers re-taped Lendeborg’s ankle in the locker room and he started the second half. He clearly was hobbling, but still managed to drill a couple of three-pointers that pushed Michigan’s lead to 56-34 with 13:02 to play and gave the squad an enormous emotional boost. He left the game at the 13:02 mark and returned about six minutes later. May later subbed Lendeborg back out with 5:19 to play and the Wolverines leading by 20. He ended up with 11 points and 3 rebounds in 14 minutes.
Lendeborg’s teammates didn’t have much opportunity to learn how serious his injuries were, but he tried to assure them he was good to go. “We didn’t really get a lot of time to talk to him,” Cadeau said. “… But we know what type of guy Yaxel is. If he can play, he’s going to play. We asked him, ‘Are you good?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ So we expect him to be on the court.”
Added McKenney, “I think it just shows the guy who Yaxel is. I mean, he just wants to put it all on the floor for Michigan, and he wants to give the fans what they came here for.”
May dismissed the suggestion that he was taking an unnecessary risk putting Lendeborg back into the game even though it appeared to be well in hand. “Apparently you guys missed the UConn-Duke game,” he said. “They were up 19, correct? And who won? You’re playing Arizona, statistically the No. 1 or 2 team all year in the country . …We didn’t feel quite as confident as you guys did that we could just put the kids to bed.”
In many ways, this game was an extension of what Michigan has done all season. Like every other team, the Wolverines had times where they weren’t at their best, and they did lose three games, to Wisconsin, Duke and Purdue. But when Michigan was in peak form, it won by huge margins over quality foes: by 40 over San Diego State, by 50 over Auburn, by 40 over Gonzaga, by 30 over USC, by 21 over Ohio State, by 30 over UCLA. In the NCAA Tournament, the Wolverines have throttled opponents by an average of 21.6 points.
Michigan’s 18-point margin of victory over Arizona was the largest between No. 1 seeds in NCAA Tournament history. It was the Wolverines’ fifth game with at least 90 points, which also is a tournament record.
It was stunning to watch Michigan slice and dice an Arizona squad that had likewise dominated opponents all season, and won both the regular-season and tournament titles in the Big 12, the nation’s toughest conference. There were many moments that did in the Wildcats, but chief among them came at the 18:26 mark of the second half when Arizona’s best player, senior point guard Jaden Bradley, picked up his fourth foul. That pretty much squelched any chance the Wildcats would have for a comeback. “They were outstanding tonight,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said of the Wolverines. “No one’s been able to do that to us all year. So, it was an impressive performance by them.”
Michigan likely will go into Monday’s final as the heavy favorite, but that could depend on how much Lendeborg’s ankle and knee heal in the next 48 hours. He left no doubt as to his intentions. “We’re going to spend a lot of time together (Sunday) and Monday,” he said of the team’s trainers. “Unless I wake up and I get up and fall out, fall off my feet, I’m gonna be in that game.”
