Key Takeaways From Michigan's Dominant Elite Eight Win Over Tennessee

It was a contest up until 11:22 left in the first half. Then Michigan went on a 21-0 run against Tennessee and the Wolverines never looked back. The Maize and Blue would enter halftime with a massive 48-26 lead over Tennessee.

The second half was more even, but it was far too late for Tennessee. Michigan had its easiest NCAA Tournament game yet, and crushed the Volunteers, 95-62.

Michigan will now face Arizona in the Final Four on Saturday.

Here are some takeaways from the Wolverines' win.

This Michigan team is a Boa constrictor

When talking about Michigan's 2023 football team, Fox's Joel Klatt always described the Wolverines as a boa constrictor. And the same applies to this Michigan basketball team.

The Wolverines have the size, speed, and shooting ability to score at will against their opponent. And Michigan's defense is suffocating — ask Tennessee. The Volunteers are better than anyone at getting offensive rebounds, and even in this game, Tennessee grabbed 18 offensive boards.

Michigan team looks on — Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

But Michigan didn't allow the Vols to get anything going. Not only did Tennessee struggle to turn those offensive boards into points, but Michigan's defense wasn't allowing Tennessee to generate open looks. The Vols' stars, Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament, combined for 28 points on 10-34 shooting.

Yaxel Lendeborg continues to shine

Was Wally Szczerbiak watching this one? On Friday, he made a ridiculous claim that Lendeborg wasn't a dominant college basketball player, but he was just one a dominant basketball team — ok.

No, the Big Ten Player of the Year and All-American is just good. For the third game in a row, Lendeborg wasn't passive and made Tennessee pay. He does more than just score the basketball. Lendeborg added seven rebounds and four assists, but he scored a game high 27 points and shredded the Volunteer defense.

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) celebrates a 3-pointer against Tennessee — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lendeborg has the ability to score from anywhere on the court, adding three threes, and his ability to score at the rim is unmatched. All the 6'9" forward has done is improve his draft stock and prove that he was the top-rated transfer available this past offseason.

Ball movement was a chef's kiss

As well as Lendeborg played, along with a few other individual performances, there isn't anything quite like Michigan's ability to move the basketball. The Wolverines are full of unselfish players, sometimes to their own detriment, but it was a thing of beauty against Tennessee.

There were multiple possessions on Sunday where Michigan passed the ball around at least five times before finding an open man. To initially put the Wolverines up by 11 points earlier in the game, both Lendeborg and Nimari Burnett passed up an open look to find Elliot Cadeau open in the corner to drill a three.

Michigan Wolverines guard Elliot Cadeau (3) celebrates with guard Trey McKenney — Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

When Michigan plays like this on offense, it's so difficult to beat it. The Wolverines were able to score under the rim and the three-ball was falling. Michigan shot well, but it's a testament to their ability to share the wealth.

Everyone gets a foul

You won't see too many games as physical as this one was — especially in the first half. Both teams faced early foul trouble and each team had to bench one of their bigs. Aday Mara picked up two early fouls before five minutes of game action.

As for Tennessee, Felix Okpara picked up three fouls in the first half, along with other Volunteers facing foul issues. There were 22 combined fouls in the first half, and a total of 42 fouls in the game.

Both teams were looking to impose their will down low, and while the Wolverines had the upper hand, Tennessee used its size to gain some offensive rebounds, along with causing some fouls.