No sugarcoating it. The No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-1) were embarrassed by a much more physical, longer, and athletic frontcourt of the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (7-0) in the Players Era Festival title game at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. So much so, in fact, this was officially the worst loss in coach Mark Few’s 27-year tenure.
This was Gonzaga’s first 40-point loss since falling by 44 to the Loyola Marymount Lions in 1990, according to ESPN’s research department. For Michigan, it was their largest win vs. an AP-ranked opponent in program history.
“Listen, we got just absolutely throttled. I’ve never been involved with anything like that. So, this is going to be a great challenge and learning experience for me. But that being said, we’ve had an incredible November up to this point prior to two hours ago. We can really draw on that. And we can certainly be humbled when they watch film with me.” – Gonzaga coach Mark Few
The Zags, once again, put themselves in an immediate hole to start with the Wolverines, opening up the game on a 20-5 run, even ending the first half on a 9-0 run. They missed their last eight shots to close the first half and didn’t have a make for the final three and a half minutes. Not even the greatest of halftime adjustments from Few could’ve helped bring his team back in this game.
Gonzaga hadn’t given up 53 points in a half since it was down 53-41 to the BYU Cougars back in 2021 in the West Coast Conference tournament. The Zags’ 24-point first-half deficit to Michigan was its largest since 2007 at the Virginia Cavaliers.
Every aspect of this game was horrendous for Gonzaga. As a group, they shot a season-low 13.6 percent on three-pointers (3-for-22 attempts). The Wolverines scored 36 field goals on 29 assists while making 60.0 percent of their shots. The defensive glass battle was won 39-26 in favor of coach Dusty May’s unit. Only two Zags finished in double-figure scoring, with none higher than 14.
Both programs came in as the hottest teams in college basketball, riding a wave after each other’s first two games in Las Vegas. With the hardware and a boatload of cash on the line, Michigan’s overall size and strength proved way too much. Gonzaga hadn’t come up against an opponent like that to this point, and it affected their interior defensive presence/paint protection.
“It’s a length, it’s a size, it’s a strength thing. And then, that helps schematically. You’re not doubling. They played our post one-on-one, and when most people do that, we score 50 points in the paint. Tonight, we probably got three, you know? – Gonzaga coach Mark Few
Junior center Aday Mara, graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg, and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. threw out defensive mismatch after defensive mismatch for the Zags. What was supposed to be an entertaining matchup against the double-big lineup of fifth-year forward Graham Ike and redshirt junior forward Braden Huff (tied for team-high 14 points on 7-for-17 shooting, six rebounds before he fouled out) turned out to be a dud of a game from the two down low.
Lendeborg was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship game after putting together a game-high in three different categories: 20 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals. He looks to be one of the freakiest athletes to eventually hear his name called in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. No stopping Lendeborg when he was slashing toward the rim or coming down the middle of the floor like a freight train. The size at 6-9 with a 7-4 wingspan to go along with his handle and quick decision-making are reasons that general managers and scouts at the next level loved his showing in Sin City.
Ike couldn’t buy a bucket, going 0-for-9 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc in 17 minutes. What’s even worse, he didn’t even grab a single board. Just completely invisible on both sides of the ball while being out-muscled by Mara.
“We’re a team that really scores well inside. We were very efficient from two, and we literally couldn’t generate any scoring there at all, all night. I thought [forward] Braden [Huff] did a nice job of finding some creases in there and some pockets and was able to hit that little mid-range floater that he’s so effective. That’s essentially it. It’s crazy as good as we’ve been this year, but that was literally all we had offensively.” – Gonzaga coach Mark Few
Mara and Ike have matched up before, when Mara was with the UCLA Bruins last season. Jump to today, the 7-3 force inside the paint looked much more comfortable operating as an offensive pivot in the three-big-man lineup from May. He has a soft touch around the rim, and if a double-team were to be thrown his way, Mara would just show off his elite passing skills out of the post. A favorite to be named to the Big Ten Conference First Team scored 13 points on 6-for-9 field goals, four rebounds, and two blocks.
The Zags were fantastic at forcing turnovers and turning those into points on the other end in the first two games of this run at the Players Era. But led by North Carolina Tar Heels transfer and junior guard Elliot Cadeau, the Wolverines took care of the ball and skipped the rock around the floor looking for their top shots. Allowing a guy like Cadeau, who had four assists and nine turnovers over his last four games, to have 13 assists and just two turnovers in 24 minutes is inexplicable.
Gonzaga threw out the 2-3 zone halfway through the first half to get Michigan out of their offensive rhythm and try to eliminate their three-point shooters with no success. If the Wolverines guards are hitting like they did (13-for-27, 48.2 three-point percentage), this is the best team in the country, and it’s not very close.
Texas Tech Red Raiders and Alabama Crimson Tide transfer Nimari Burnett was a perfect 4-for-4 from deep and was uncontested at times on the night before Thanksgiving. The perimeter defense from the Zags looked lost out there.
Never has any group put on such a dominating effort over a three-day period in an MTE setting like Michigan did in Las Vegas. The Wolverines beat the San Diego State Aztecs by 40 points in the opening round, 30 points over the Auburn Tigers next, and whatever that was against the Zags.
Both of these teams’ rosters have minimal weak links, but Gonzaga’s three-point shooting and shot selection continue to be worrisome. It seemed many of their sets were rushed against Michigan, and the looks from deep were forced, coming up flat off the front of the rim. On the season, the Zags are hitting only 32.2 percent of their shots from beyond the arc (59-for-83).
On a positive note, Gonzaga’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Collective will be rewarded with nearly $1.5 million by the Players Era Festival. That life-changing money will go straight to the players.
The Zags will be back in Sin City for the Players Era tournament next season, hopefully with better ending results. Erasing tonight’s performance from the memory bank, Few and Co. have nine days to prepare for the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats (5-2) at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, next Friday, Dec. 5, at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN2.
KenPom Update: Gonzaga has dropped down to No. 5 in KenPom (No. 7-ranked defense, No. 12-ranked offense). Michigan replaces the Zags at No. 1 after winning the Players Era Festival.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
