Five Wild Stats Show Just How Badly Michigan Basketball Dominated Arizona in Final Four Matchup

The No. 1 Wolverines knocked off the No. 1 Wildcats 91–73, and the game wasn’t as close as the final score looked.

Elliot Cadeau had 13 points and 10 assists as Michigan routed Arizona in the 2026 Final Four. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 1 Arizona was billed as a battle of the titans. Instead, it was yet another runaway victory for the Wolverines in a March Madness run full of them.

Michigan dominated its Final Four matchup against the Wildcats, 91–73, and if possible the final score doesn’t accurately reflect how much of a beatdown Saturday night’s men’s NCAA tournament semifinal game was.

Yaxel Lendenborg, the Wolverines’ superstar forward, sat for much of the first half after picking up two fouls in the first 90 seconds of action, and later dealt with ankle and knee injuries that limited him to 14 minutes in the game. That alone should have given Arizona a significant early edge. Instead, Michigan jumped out to an early 26–10 lead. The Wildcats would trim that lead to five points midway through the first half, but the Wolverines would finish the first frame on an 18–9 run to take a 48–32 lead into halftime.

It got no better for Tommy Lloyd’s team from there. Michigan led by as many as 30 points midway through the second half, and while Arizona would get things back down within 20 by the end of the game, anyone tuned in knew just how decisive this game was for all but a brief Wildcats run in the middle of the first half.

Here are five eye-popping stats from Saturday’s semifinal blowout that show just how thoroughly the Wolverines dominated the national semifinal—and this tournament as a whole, so far.

Roddy Gayle Jr. scored nine points in 30 minutes off the bench for Michigan against Arizona. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Michigan is now the only team in NCAA tournament history to score 90 points in five consecutive games

Michigan led No. 16 Howard by just four points at the half of their first-round game two weeks ago. No. 4 Alabama took a two-point lead into the break against the Wolverines. No other team really hung with Michigan early during this March Madness run, and Dusty May’s team is only getting better as the competition improves, as evidenced by Saturday’s domination against Arizona, especially on offense.

A pair of Roddy Gayle Jr. free throws put Michigan over 90 points for the fifth consecutive tournament game. Per ESON, the Wolverines are the first team to put up 90 or more points in five consecutive NCAA tournament games in the event’s history.

Those scores:

• vs. No. 16 Howard, 101–80
• vs. No. 9 Saint Louis, 95–72
• vs. No. 4 Alabama, 90–77
• vs. No. 6 Tennessee, 95–62
• vs. No. 1 Arizona, 91–73

Michigan put Arizona in completely uncharted territory with its huge second-half lead

Midway through the first half of the Wildcats’ season opener against defending national champion Florida, Gators center Micah Handlogten hit a layup to put UF up 32–20. Brayden Burries would answer with a quick two of his own, and Arizona would erase a sizable deficit to take a 50–46 lead into the half. The Wildcats would win that game, 93–87.

With 4:21 left in the first half of a late regular season Big 12 matchup, Colorado’s Isaiah Johnson knocked down a three to push the Buffaloes’ early lead over Arizona to 36–25. The Wildcats trailed by two at the half of that game, but pulled away late to win 89–79.

Even in Arizona’s two regular season losses—back-to-back defeats to Kansas and Texas Tech in February—the Wildcats never trailed by double digits. Michigan spent most of Saturday’s game up by 10 or more, cruising to victory. Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney pointed out that it was also the first double-digit second-half deficit for Arizona this season, and it lasted the entire second half.

Arizona hasn’t trailed by double digits in a second half all season.

It had just two double-digit deficits on the entire year before today… and one came on opening night against Florida.

Astonishing what Michigan doing to them right now.

— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) April 5, 2026

Arizona was a favorite to win the national title and many considered it the most well-rounded team in the tournament ... and it got absolutely shellacked by a monster of a Michigan team on Saturday.

The 18-point win over Arizona is tied for the biggest blowout in a game between No. 1 seeds since seeding began in the NCAA tournament

We’ve seen some lopsided No. 1 vs. No. 1 games before, but not like this.

As ESPN’s Jeff Borzello pointed out at the end of the Final Four game, the 18-point margin tied for the largest in any game between top seeds. The mark ties a 77–59 win for No. 1 Georgetown vs. No. 1 St. John’s during the 1985 tournament.

Michigan hopes to avoid the same fate as the Hoyas, of course. John Thompson’s team would follow up that dominant win against one Big East rival with a historic upset to another, as No. 8 Villanova knocked off Georgetown 66–64 in the national title game. Michigan’s upcoming foe is, of course, a Big East squad as well: No. 2 UConn.

Michigan’s last two wins have put them in conversation with one of John Wooden’s UCLA national championship squads. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Michigan made history with its back-to-back Elite Eight and Final Four blowouts

The win over Arizona was decisive, but the Wolverines’ dominant showing a round earlier against Tennessee was even more so.

Michigan completely outclassed a red-hot Volunteers squad, winning by 33 points. Combined with the Final Four margin of victory, and the Wolverines have posted the biggest combined margin of victory in the two games proceeding the national championship since the 1968 UCLA team, per ESPN.

That Bruins team, led by legendary coach John Wooden and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, went 29–1 during the regular season, and absolutely dominated in the NCAA tournament, which consisted of 23 teams that year. UCLA beat Santa Clara in the regional final, 87–66, and avenged its only loss to No. 1 Houston, in dominant fashion, 101–69.

Wooden’s dynastic Bruins would finish the run with a 78–55 win over North Carolina in the national title game.

Michigan has a chance to top 2024 UConn’s margin of victory record ... with a game against the Huskies Monday

Dan Hurley captured his second consecutive national title in 2024, capping a dominant March Madness run with a 15-point victory against Purdue in the championship game.

A No. 1 seed that year, UConn knocked off No. 16 Stetson, No., 9 Northwestern, No. 5 San Diego State, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Alabama and the fellow No. 1 Boilermakers by an average of 23.3 points—setting a men’s NCAA tournament record for a champion in the 64-plus team era that began in 1985.

Michigan is just a shade below the Huskies’ run at 21.6 points per game. Of course that would be a tall task against Hurley’s current UConn squad on Monday, as the Wildcats would need to win by 32 to match the 2024 Huskies’ mark. Still, with how the Wolverines have looked during this tournament run, they can’t be counted out to keep making history.

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