Michigan overpowers Arizona in NCAA Tournament semifinal

INDIANAPOLIS — All season long, the Arizona Wildcats owned the paint. They made more free throws than their opponents attempted. They were secure with the ball. On the few occasions they trailed, they found a way to “figure it out,” as head coach Tommy Lloyd often put it.

This time, there was no figuring it out.

Michigan overpowered Arizona, 91-73, on April 4 in front of 72,111 fans at Lucas Oil Stadium in the second NCAA Tournament semifinal. The win sends the Wolverines (36-3) into the championship game on April 6 against Connecticut (34-5), a 71-62 winner over Illinois earlier in the night.

With 51 seconds left and the Wolverines up by 23, coach Dusty May called a timeout for the opportunity to pull his starters. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd did the same.

Moments later, Arizona players strolled off the court, expressions of disbelief across their faces. Jaden Bradley and Koa Peat walked through the tunnel arm in arm, Peat with a towel draped over his head. The Wildcats weren’t just beaten. They were manhandled, something completely unfamiliar for a team whose only two regular-season losses were by a combined seven points.

Lloyd admitted it will probably take a few days to process.

“I thought we had a chance to win this four-team tournament,” Lloyd said. “Obviously, Michigan had other thoughts today. We’ll get back home and take a breath. But I know, myself, no loss at the end of the season feels great. But I also think that it can be a great learning tool.

“So we’re going to take a breath, probably try to figure out what our roster looks like next year, and like I’ve always said, in this business, as a coach, you’ve got to be tough enough to take disappointment and show back up. And we’re going to show back up. We’re going to try to do this again, but see if we can do it a little bit better.”

The Wildcats (36-3) were making their fifth appearance in the Final Four, but the first since 2001 when they made the title tilt. Their only championship came way back in 1997. Many national pundits thought this was the year the school could break that long drought. The Wildcats defeated 14 nationally ranked teams, the most by a team since rankings started. They were battle-tested, winning both the Big 12 regular-season title and the conference tournament.

But Michigan came in battle-tested, too. It is one of the few teams that has the size to match up with the Wildcats. That made all the difference.

Arizona has a 7-foot-2 behemoth in Mo Krivas, but Michigan countered with 7-3 Aday Mara. Mara, who previously played at UCLA, tallied 26 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. The Wolverines also started a pair of 6-9 forwards in Morez Johnson and Yaxel Lendeborg, who combined for another 21 points and 10 rebounds. Michigan finished with a 19-12 edge in second-chance points.

Lendeborg sprained an ankle in the first half. He returned in the second but played just 15 minutes in the game, although it was an impactful 15 minutes.

“Their size really impacted the game,” Lloyd said. “I felt that. I see they only have Mara down for two blocks. There’s no way. I could think of three that he tipped, you know what I mean, just right off the top of my head.

“They’re one of those teams — I would say, like, Houston’s like that, or even Iowa State’s like that, teams we played. You have to play them a few times. And after you kind of get used to playing them a few times, you get more comfortable. I wish we had another crack at it, but we don’t. And so they get a ton of credit.”

Michigan came in as a 1.5-point favorite, which indicated the game was a toss-up. But it was never close.

The Wildcats trailed 48-32 at the half, the largest deficit the team has faced at any point this season. That hill to climb got steeper at 23 points just 5 minutes into the second half and was up to 30 at 77-47 with 10:31 left. There was no coming back from that.

Part of the disappointment comes from the fact that next season the team will look a lot different. For many, this was their shot. Three of the top seven are graduating, and freshmen phenoms Koa Peat and Brayden Burries are likely to head to the NBA.

Peat won four state titles at Perry High School, so ending the season with a loss is something unfamiliar. He says he took pride in being a hometown kid and representing the state.

Peat accompanied Lloyd to the postgame interview room along with Burries, Bradley, and Lloyd, but had his head buried in his arm when others were answering questions.

“It means everything to me. Being a kid from Arizona, putting on this jersey, having Arizona across my chest,” he said. “Like I said at the beginning of the season, when I put Arizona across my chest, I’m going to go 110% every game and leave no regrets. I’m just really thankful for the brand and the program for everything they did for me, and these teammates right here. I’m just super blessed. And it was a special year, and I’m just really thankful for everybody in Tucson.”

Players were asked to reflect on their favorite moments of the season. Each said it wasn’t one win, it was more about the time they spent together.

“I would say just, on and off the court,” Bradley said. “I feel like you really get to figure your teammates out, know what they’re like, meet their families. Just stuff beyond basketball. I felt like it brings you closer on the court, and I feel like we did a lot of stuff like that this year.”

Arizona shot just 36.6% (26-for-71), which included a 6-for-17 from deep. Peat had 16 points, but it took a 6-for-18 showing from the field. Burries and Anthony Dell’Orso each had 13, but Burries was only 4-for-16 from the field and 2-for-10 from deep. The Wildcats tallied 14 turnovers, which allowed Michigan to finish with a 26-12 advantage in points off turnovers.

Michigan shot 47.8% (33-for-69), including a 12-for-27 from deep.

“I think a lot of it is simply match-ups,” May said. “When we’ve played this model, this Arizona model this year — and they’re the souped-up version, they’re the steroid version of Gonzaga and these other teams — we just felt like if a team relies on scoring 15 feet and in, with Aday and Morez and Yaxel and Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle, because of our size, length, it’s going to be tough to score enough points 15 feet and in, if we’re making some shots and we’re in a decent rhythm offensively. We matched up well with Arizona better than we have some other teams this year.”