Michigan vs. Arizona Tactical Breakdown: How the Wolverines Can Beat the Wildcats

Michigan and Arizona have been two of the very best teams in college basketball all year long. So far in this tournament, Michigan has beaten Howard, St. Louis, Alabama, and Tennessee to get to this Final Four matchup. Arizona on the other hand has beaten Long Island, Utah State, Arkansas, and Purdue. It'll be a clash of the titans this Saturday in Indianapolis as the Wolverines and Wildcats go at it with a chance to play in the National Championship game on the line. Let's dive more into the three keys to Michigan beating Arizona below.

Michigan needs to stay out of foul trouble

Arizona is one of just a few teams across the entire country that can match Michigan's size in the front court. They also really like to pound the ball down low, and quite often get opponents in foul trouble when doing so. I see this game going one of two ways, either Michigan can matchup with the front court of Arizona and force them to do other things on offense that they aren't as good at, or Arizona will pound it down low to get Michigan's big guys in foul trouble which will be tough for the Wolverines to overcome.

The most important key for Michigan in this game in my opinion will be playing good post defense without fouling. If they're able to do that, Arizona is much more beatable. If they're not able to do that, it'll be a long day for the Wolverines.

Yaxel Lendeborg needs to be the best player on the court

So far in this tournament, Yaxel Lendeborg has been arguably the best player in the entire NCAA Tournament. He was quiet in the blowout win over Howard, but since then scored 25, 23, and then 27 points against St. Louis, Alabama, and Tennessee. He's been dominant on both ends of the floor for the Wolverines, doing everything from guarding the other team's best player, to scoring, to rebounding, and creating scoring chances for others.

If Yaxel Lendeborg continues to play at this high of a level, Michigan will be very, very tough to beat no matter what else happens. He'll likely be matched up against a very good true freshman in Koa Peat, who's coming off a 20 point, 7 rebound, 3 assists game against Purdue in the Elite Eight. How that individual matchup goes will go a long way in determining which team ends up victorious this Saturday.

Continue to shoot well from 3-point range

Given that the front court for both teams are both so big and imposing, there's a chance they end up essentially cancelling each other out down low. In that case, this game likely comes down to who shoots it better from 3-point range to win this game. So far this NCAA Tournament, Michigan has made 45 three's. Arizona has only made 23 in their four games. Michigan should, at least in theory, have the advantage shooting from outside the three point line. If that holds, I think Michigan will be in a good spot to win this game and advance to the National Title game.

This should be a great college basketball game between two of the very best teams in the country all year long. The way Michigan has been playing, they're gonna be really rough to beat at all but if anyone can do it, Arizona is the best bet. The front court will be the fascinating part of the this game for each team, and if Michigan can keep their big guys out of foul trouble, if Yaxel Lendeborg is the best player on the court, and if Michigan can keep shooting it this well from 3-point range, I like their chances to beat Arizona and advance to the National Championship Game.