The Arizona Wildcats are done. The Michigan Wolverines made sure of that.
The Wolverines (36-3) beat the Wildcats (36-3), 91-73, on Saturday in the second game of the Final Four in Indianapolis. UConn beat Illinois in the first game to set up a Big EAST-Big Ten championship game on Monday.
The Wildcats were making their first Final Four appearance in 25 years, led by one of their most talented teams in years. Arizona was just never able to get things going against a Michigan team that shot out of the gate fast and never looked back.
Koa Peat had 16 points, with Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley adding 13 points and Motiejus Krivas scored 11 points.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
Overwhelmed Wildcats
When I looked at the bracket at the start of the tournament, I felt that Michigan was one of the few teams that could challenge one of Arizona’s biggest strengths, which was its interior. I still picked Arizona to win the tournament, but I knew if the Wildcats faced the Wolverines, it would be a problem.
I was right. But things did not transpire as I expected. Yaxel Lendeborg was nailed for two fouls in the first two minutes and then tweaked his ankle on a drive when he stepped on the foot of Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas.
Lendeborg was the Big Ten Player of the Year. Him being limited to 14 minutes should have been a blow for the Wolverines. But it wasn’t.
Instead, the Wolverines got a boost from 6-foot-1 guard Elliot Cadeau, who had 10 rebounds. Aday Mara, the 7-foot-3 center, blew up for 26 points and nine rebounds. The points were a season high. Michigan’s talented freshman guard, Trey McKenney, had16x points with four 3-pointers.
One of Arizona’s best abilities all season was to pick up for each other when a player had a poor game. Michigan turned the tables on Arizona on Saturday and picked up for its best player. Lendeborg had 11 points. But it was his teammates that overwhelmed the Wildcats.
Arizona’s Mounting Issues
The game started with the Wolverines going on a 10-1 run. Arizona responded to a point. A combination of factors kept Arizona from climbing the mountain.
Start with the shooting. The Wildcats shot 38% for the game. Arizona shot 50% from the floor for the season. Forget all the talk about the “lack” of 3-poitn shooting. That doesn’t help any team when it’s shooting 12% below its season percentage. The Wolverine defense made every shot difficult, especially the ones Arizona excels at — the mid-range shots where players like Koa Peat and Brayden Burries draw contact and extra foul shots.
Arizona outrebounded Michigan, 44-40. But for Arizona that means it didn’t hit enough shots, not that it dominated the glass. The Wildcats also lost the turnover game, albeit barely, 14-13, and Michigan shot much better at the free throw line (81%) than Arizona (68%) a place where it makes up the difference in 3-point shooting.
Michigan shot 10% better from the field than Arizona. When it really boils down to it, that won the game for the Wolverines. Sometimes games don’t need a lot of parsing to figure out why.
Arizona’s Future is Bright
In two years in the Big 12, the Arizona Wildcats have won a Big 12 regular season title, a Big 12 Tournament title, been to another Big 12 Tournament title game, reached a Sweet 16 and a Final Four. Head coach Tommy Lloyd just got a five-year extension and reports to the university president and not the athletic director.
There will be change this offseason. Chances are Koa Peat and Brayden Burries head to the NBA Draft, though if they’re wise, they’ll test it without giving up eligibility until they get their report cards. Krivas could test it out, too. Jaden Bradley is out of eligibility.
But change is inevitable. Lloyd has built what looks like a machine in Tucson, one capable of withstanding those changes. It only makes the Big 12 stronger — and Arizona a harder program to beat.
