Michigan needs two more wins for its first national championship in men’s basketball since 1989. First up is Arizona in a Final Four semifinal on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis (9:19 p.m., TBS). Follow the action here with live updates throughout the game by Detroit News contributor Kameron Goodwill.
Lendeborg will return in second half, Michigan enters halftime with 16-point lead over Arizona
The latest update on Lendeborg says he will make his return in the second half, as Michigan continues their double-digit lead over Arizona even with him on the bench.
Mara drives and lays in the and-one shot, plus the free throw, then after an Arizona turnover Mara catches the lob from Cadeau and gives it the soft touch for another layup. Mara’s solo scoring run continues with two free throws made as he’s up to 15 points.
Michigan’s lead goes up to 18 points, but the Wolverines head to halftime up 16 points and are a half away from clinching a spot in the national championship game.
Lendeborg returns to sidelines before heading back to locker room, Wolverines extend lead back to 12 points
Mara picks up his second foul with 6:56 left and a challenge by Dusty May is unsuccessful. Michigan’s drought finally ends as Roddy Gayle Jr. drives for the huge slam over Motiejus Krivas!
As Arizona goes to the free throw line, Lendeborg returns to the Michigan bench with a towel over his head. The Wildcats miss three straight free throws, and we get a highlight as Cadeau finds Nimari Burnett for the impressive layup in traffic! More foul trouble as Arizona’s Bradley picks up his third foul with 5:09 left. McKenney’s 3-pointer leads to another Arizona timeout, as Lendeborg heads back to the locker room with 4:35 left in the first half.
Lendeborg heads to locker room for quick visit after awkward fall, Arizona cuts into lead but Michigan’s still up 28-21
Arizona’s biggest deficit of the season gets even bigger, as the Wolverines’ lead gets up to 16 points. Michigan’s defense has truly made life hard for the Wildcats with the Wolverines already having three steals and a block in this first half.
Lendeborg lands awkwardly on his left ankle while attempting a layup, drawing a foul and hitting both free throws but going straight to the locker room, reports saying he’ll get ice and tape on that ankle so he’ll return to the game. Meanwhile, Arizona goes on a 11-2 run after that 16-point deficit, and now Michigan needs a timeout with 7:21 left in the first half.
Wolverines start hitting 3-pointers, take 22-10 lead over Wildcats in first half
Arizona and Michigan trade threes out of the timeout, as Arizona’s Dwayne Aristode hits a 3-pointer but Cadeau answers with a step-back three. Speaking of threes, Lendeborg’s back on the floor and hits his first shot, a corner three.
The Wildcats are staring at their biggest deficit of the season at 12 points while the Wolverines offense is currently hot, just like they’ve been all tournament as another timeout is taken with 11:34 remaining in the first half.
Wolverines stretch lead, now up, 16-5, over Arizona
Michigan continues their hot start with a quick 6-2 run out of the timeout, as Mara gets four points including a jam with the assist from Roddy Gayle Jr. After an Elliot Cadeau steal leads to a breakaway dunk from Trey McKenney, Arizona calls their first timeout with 14:27 remaining in this first half.
Lendeborg gets in foul trouble, Wolverines up, 10-3, against Arizona early in Final Four matchup
Aday Mara gets the Wolverines on the board with a put-back layup. Yaxel Lendeborg picks up two fouls in the span of just five seconds, heading to the bench with 18:38 left in the first half. Arizona’s Jaden Bradley makes one of two free throws, as Michigan pulls out to a 10-1 lead after an and-one layup by Morez Johnson Jr., including the made free throw.
Arizona starts 0-for-4 from the field with two turnovers but that ends as Bradley hits the midrange jumper as the first timeout is called with 15:59 left in the first half.
Game Preview
Essentially, two juggernauts face off when No. 1 seeds Michigan and Arizona meet in the Final Four on Saturday, with the hope of playing the University of Connecticut for the national championship on Monday night.
Both teams have dominated their competition at the NCAA Tournament so far, as coach Dusty May and the Wolverines and Wildcats are coming off huge double-digit wins over No. 6 Tennessee and No. 2 Purdue, respectively. They’ve largely dominated college basketball discussion all season, along with top-seeded Duke, which was upset by UConn in the Elite Eight.
Watch Michigan vs. Arizona in Final Four live with Sling TV
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, a first-team All-American, has been outstanding since transferring from UAB over the offseason. He’s averaging 21 points with 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in March Madness, rising from the JUCO ranks to top of college basketball.
Arizona gets it done with a committee, as veteran guard Jaden Bradley and true freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat do most of the heavy lifting for the Wildcats’ stud roster.
Here’s how to watch the heavyweight bout in the Final Four:
What TV channel is Michigan vs. Arizona on today?
Michigan-Arizona will air live on TBS, with streaming options on the March Madness Live app or HBO Max. The game will also be available for streaming on Sling TV, which carries TBS.
Michigan vs. Arizona time today
Michigan vs. Arizona predictions, picks, odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, April 3
Arizona-Michigan is shaping up to be one of the best games of the year, and both teams are playing their best basketball heading into the Final Four. Both teams are long, have veteran presences and can shoot, and it might come down to a few plays here or there that decide this one.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan has 16-point halftime lead in Final Four semifinal: Live updates
Reporting by Kameron Goodwill, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
