The Michigan Wolverines are National Championship-bound, and it has never felt so good to be a Michigan fan. This is a team that, from the start, knew what they were capable of, and now they are putting the world on notice as well.
Taking down Arizona 91-73 in the Final Four, the other team that has been just as dominant as Michigan in the NCAA Tournament by such a large margin was not on anyone's bingo card this tournament. At one point, the lead for the Wolverines ballooned to nearly 30 points, and even with star player Yaxel Lendeborg out for some time with an ankle and knee injury, Michigan didn't miss a beat.
When Lendeborg did come back, it was clear he wasn't 100%, but hitting back-to-back three-pointers really helped calm the nerves of Michigan fans.
There were many people who felt this Michigan team wasn't going to live up to the hype, including First Take personality Steven A. Smith. The notorious host was very vocal about how he didn't believe Michigan had what it took to go the distance in the NCAA Tournament and bring home a title.
Well now, Smith is eating his words, and has even accepted his defeat on this one.
Good lord have mercy. @umichbball is kicking @ArizonaMBB’s ass. Superior guard play. Superior shooting. Superior Toughness inside and out. This is pure domination. I honestly can’t believe how lopsided this is. Arizona doesn’t look like they belong on the same court. And Burries…
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 5, 2026
Even Smith had to admit that he didn't see this type of game coming between Michigan and Arizona. To be fair, not many people saw it being this lopsided, as these were two of the best teams coming into the NCAA Tournament.
Even with the Lendeborg injury, Michigan continued to build the lead and make this game way out of hand. Granted, head coach Dusty May was certainly playing with fire, allowing Lendeborg to play with the knee and ankle injury, but he was able to get out unscathed. Now, the attention turns to getting him ready for Monday.
Michigan now has to prepare against what will probably be a tough matchup against a really good UConn team that is shooting the ball at a high level right now. It won't be a walk in the park, especially if Lendeborg isn't 100%, but it's the National Championship, and anything can happen.