As soon as the ball was tipped, the Michigan Wolverines were in control. The Arizona Wildcats never had a shot to come back.
When you talk about the Michigan Wolverines, you’ll be hard-pressed not to mention Yaxel Lendeborg. The 6’9″, 235-pound forward leads the Wolverines in points. He averages 15.2 points per game and seven rebounds.
In what many expected to be a highly competitive game, Lendeborg would be important.
At the 8:51 mark in the first half, Lendeborg had to come out. Number 23 for the Wolverines rolled his ankle during a drive to the hoop. The score was 28–14 at the time.
The Wolverines knew they needed to step up in his absence, and several of his teammates did. The Wolverines were led in assists by junior guard Elliot Cadeau, a UNC transfer who dropped dime after dime. He finished with 10 assists.
The Wolverines had points come from all over their roster, led by 7’3″ Aday Mara, who had 26 points and nine boards.
It wasn’t just the starters scoring, though. Coming off the bench, freshman guard Trey McKenney provided energy, dropping in 16 points.
Lendeborg returned in the second half, albeit obviously not at 100 percent. Even without Lendeborg at 100 percent, Michigan beat Arizona 91-73.
The Wolverines have scored more than 90 points in all five of their NCAA Tournament games.
They can complete their dominant run by winning the national championship against the UConn Huskies.
The Wolverines will have a tough task taking down the Huskies. However, after a convincing win against Arizona, Michigan fans have to feel good heading into it.
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