The final four in Indianapolis produced victories for Michigan and UConn that set a men’s national final between the two programs, with Michigan beating Arizona 91-73 and UConn defeating Illinois 71-62, as reported by ESPN.
Michigan’s first-half surge was led by Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., with Mara finishing a game-high 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting plus nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, and the Wolverines building leads as large as 30 points, according to ESPN coverage.
Yaxel Lendeborg left the game after rolling his ankle and was diagnosed by the coach as potentially having an MCL sprain, and Lendeborg told Tracy Wolfson he plans to play unless he cannot walk, saying, Imma push through, there’s no way I’m missing the game Monday night, per postgame remarks.
UConn relied on 3-point shooting to survive Illinois, making a program-record 12 three-pointers in the Final Four, with Braylon Mullins scoring 15 points and drilling a decisive 3 with 52 seconds remaining that effectively ended Illinois’ comeback attempt, ESPN reported.
Alex Karaban shot 1-for-8 and Solo Ball made three 3s, while Tarris Reed Jr. supplied first-half efficiency, all combining to allow the Huskies to hold Illinois at arm’s length en route to their third national championship game in four years, per ESPN.
Michigan’s path to the final has featured high scoring and margin, with the Wolverines reaching 90 points in each of their five tournament games and winning every contest by at least 13 points, a run noted in live coverage of the Final Four.
Women’s Final Four And Title Implications
On the women’s side UCLA survived a low-scoring semifinal to beat Texas 51-44, a defensive slog that produced the Bruins’ first trip to the NCAA-era title game, with Lauren Betts scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, as reported by ESPN.
UCLA committed 23 turnovers, the most in a Final Four game since 2008, but the Bruins defended Texas into a season-low 44 points on 30.8 percent shooting, while Texas star Madison Booker made just three of 23 attempts and finished with six points.
Key moments included a 7-0 run in the fourth quarter capped by a Kiki Rice 3 and a Gabriela Jaquez layup, and a late block by Betts that helped seal the win, while coach Cori Close called the game a necessary defensive grind and Texas coach Vic Schaefer lamented the team’s inability to make shots.
UConn and Michigan will meet for the men’s championship Monday night, and UCLA will face South Carolina in the women’s final on Sunday afternoon, setting title games that again contrast high-octane offense and methodical defensive play, as described in game reports.
