INDIANAPOLIS — Because Michigan and Arizona had weaved up and down within the top three spots in college basketball nearly all season, a riveting national semifinal game between them was expected Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was anything but.
The Wildcats, having overcome halftime deficits to win seven times this season and never suffering a blowout loss before Saturday, instead fell behind by 16 at halftime … and kept struggling in the second half of a 91-73 loss to Michigan.
Arizona forward Koa Peat gets a hug from head coach Tommy Lloyd as he comes off the court in the last seconds of their 91-73 loss to Michigan in the Final Four game in Indianapolis, April 4, 2026.
The collective totals were like no other Arizona game this season: Michigan shot 47.8% from the field, hit 12 of 27 3-pointers and scored 26 points off 14 UA turnovers. The Wolverines also kept UA from its usual big advantage at the line by making 13 of 16 free throws they took while UA made just 15 of 22.
"We've been down a few times this year, but not like that," UA coach Tommy Lloyd. "Just probably got a little panicky and weren't able to settle back in."
Arizona had trailed at halftime in seven games it won this season, but never by more than seven points, an edge Baylor, Iowa State (in the Big 12 Tournament) and Purdue held after the first half.
Of their two losses, the Wildcats led Kansas on Feb. 9 and were tied with Texas Tech on Feb. 14.
This time, UA was down 16 at the half and by 30 midway through the second.
"Against great teams like that, we can let them have this type of lead," center Motiejas Krivas said. "We were close a couple times, but we just couldn't break it."
Koa Peat led the Wildcats with 16 points and 11 rebounds, but UA guards Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley were limited, Bradley by foul trouble and Burries with shooting.
Burries scored 13 points but hit just 2 of 10 3-pointers and was just 4 of 15 from the field overall, while Bradley picked up three fouls in the first half and a fourth less than two minutes into the second, playing just 25 minutes.
"Especially in a big-time game like this, you don't want to be on a bench," Bradley said. "I want to be out there with my guys competing. There were questionable calls for sure, but I just had to live with it, get on the bench, try to give my team some energy."
Arizona guard Brayden Burries (5) runs square into Michigan forward Oscar Goodman (5) trying to complete a fast break in the first half of their Final Four game, Indianapolis, Ind., April 4, 2026.
They had some energy, managing to outrebound Michigan 44-40 in part because they picked up 18 offensive rebounds on their 45 misses.
But it didn't matter when the Wolverines were lobbing it to 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, who led Michigan with 26 points and nine rebounds. Or pouring in 12 of 27 3-pointers, getting four in just over three minutes midway through the second half to break Arizona's spirit. Or making sharp backdoor cuts for layups or dunks that the Wildcats had trouble stopping.
"They just do a lot," Bradley said. "It's hard to key on a single thing, back door cuts, lobs, hitting 3s and getting to the free throw line. They just ran great offense today."
While Mara had 26 points, eight rebounds and two blocks to lead Michigan, point guard Eliot Cadeau had 13 points and 10 assists while hitting 3 of 7 3-pointers. In addition, Michigan reserve guard Trey McKenney scored 16 points while hitting 4 of 6 3-pointers.
"I think me and Elliot did a really good job of just setting the tone and making sure we went out there with confidence," McKenney said, "and (we) made some some shots for our team to give us that lift, to be able to keep them at a distance in the second half."
Leading 48-32 at halftime, Michigan began the second half on an 8-2 run thanks to a dunk from Mara and two 3-pointers from Yaxel Lendeborg — while Bradley picked up his fourth foul just 90 seconds into the second half.
Michigan later hit four 3-pointers in just over three minutes, two each from McKenney and Cadeau, to take a 72-45 lead with 12:20 to go. The Wolverines went on to take a 30-point lead, 77-47, when McKenney hit his fourth 3-pointer on six tries with 10:31 left.
"They just broke our neck, making three, four tough shots in a row, and we didn't have the best day," UA wing Ivan Kharchenkov said. "Especially, we got in a little bit foul trouble there. It was just a tough second half."
Michigan made it a tough first half for the Wildcats, too. Arizona missed its first four field goals while falling behind 10-1 to start the game while Michigan outrebounded the Wildcats 5-3 over the first four minutes.
UA pulled within 12-5 after baskets from Bradley and Awaka, but Cadeau stole the ball from Anthony Dell’Orso, then passed to McKenney, who dunked it to give the Wolverines their first double-digit lead.
Even without much help initially from standout forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who played just five minutes in the first half with two fouls, the Wolverines kept rolling.
Michigan shot 44.7% and held the Wildcats to just 37.5% shooting -- and scoring 12 points on nine UA turnovers before halftime.
"They just did a great job being in the gaps, whether they were going over and under ball screens, and we didn't do a great job adjusting the level of our screen," Lloyd said. "So we weren't getting the edge, and we had a few guys who over-penetrated.
"They're scrappy and handsy, and they got their hands on some balls."
Lloyd said the Wilddcats also suffered from failing to secure defensive rebounds, when the Wolverines sometimes simply grabbed them and put them back in.
"That's tough when that happens right in front of the rim," Lloyd said.
While Lendeborg picked up two fouls in the first two minutes and suffered a knee injury that prompted tests at halftime, the Wolverines received 15 points before halftime from Mara, the 7-3 Spanish center who played only a limited role at UCLA the previous two seasons.
Arizona had some steady inside production early, getting six points and at least five rebounds each in the first half from Tobe Awaka, Krivas and Peat. But the Wildcats received only eight combined points from their starting perimeter trio before halftime, with Burries missing all five field goals he took before halftime.
Arizona forward Tobe Awaka (30) ties up Michigan center Aday Mara (15) trying to force his way to the basket in the second half of their Final Four game in Indianapolis, Ind., April 4, 2026.
The Wildcats trailed by up to 16 points early, but went on a 9-0 run to pull within 28-23 with 7:21 left in the half, getting two free throws from Peat, a 3-pointer from Ivan Kharchenkov and two inside baskets from Krivas.
But a 3-pointer from McKenney put them back ahead 35-23 with less than three minutes later, and the Wolverines held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Lloyd credited Michigan coach Dusty May for keeping the Wolverines comfortably on top.
"Once they get on a good start, he knows how to control the game," Lloyd said. "And when you're controlling the game and you're running your actions and you're getting some open shots or semi-open shots -- and you knock them down -- it makes it really tough to come back."
The Wolverines had done this sort of thing much of the season, since whipping three high-major opponents in the Players Era Festival by an average of 33.3 points, and losing only once in Big Ten play.
But Arizona had dominated with consistency all season, losing only twice before, once by four points at Kansas and five days later at home to Texas Tech in overtime.
Everything else was an Arizona win, usually comfortable, occasionally close, but always a win.
Until Saturday.
"It's a tough one," Bradley said. "They played better than us today but we accomplished a lot this year."
