Michigan dismantles Arizona to reach 1st national title game since 2018

Michigan is off to its first national championship game since 2018 following a 91-73 beatdown of fellow 1-seed Arizona.

The Wolverines' 18-point margin of victory is tied for the largest in an NCAA Tournament game between top seeds since seeding began in 1979, per ESPN Research.

Michigan led by as many as 30 points despite Yaxel Lendeborg being limited to 14 minutes after suffering an ankle injury and MCL sprain in the first half.

Wolverines center Aday Mara led the way with 26 points and nine boards to help the Big Ten program book a date with UConn in the final.

Meanwhile, freshman Koa Peat added 16 points and 11 boards in defeat for the Wildcats.

Michigan also became the first team in history to score at least 90 points in each of the first five games of a single NCAA Tournament.

The Maize and Blue took immediate control of the heavyweight battle, jumping out to a 10-1 start within the first three minutes.

Dusty May's squad didn't let their foot off the pedal and went into the locker room with a 48-32 advantage.

Michigan continued to pour it on in the second half, with a decisive 21-8 run being the knockout blow to Arizona's national title dreams.

Five different Wolverines tallied at least double-digits in scoring. They shot 48% from the field, including a 12-of-27 clip from deep.

Michigan also recorded 25 bench points, 26 points off turnovers, and 36 points in the paint.

The Wolverines limited a potent Wildcats offense to a season-low 36.6% shooting from the field and five assists.

Only UConn stands in the way of Michigan's first national championship since 1989. The Huskies advanced to the title game with a 71-62 triumph over Illinois in the earlier Final Four matchup.

A Wolverines victory Monday evening would snap the Big Ten's 26-year national championship drought.