The last two No. 1 seeds remaining in the tournament collide as the Michigan Wolverines take on the Arizona Wildcats in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats had a relatively easy path to the Final Four, demolishing Long Island, Utah State, Arkansas and Purdue. The same could be said for Michigan, which had larger margins of victory over Howard, Saint Louis, Alabama and Tennessee en route to the Final Four.
Both teams are filled with stars, from Michigan’s scary frontcourt of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara to Arizona’s dynamic freshman duo of Brayden Burries and Koa Peat. This should be an interesting matchup.
Michigan vs. Arizona Final Four Projected Starting Lineups
Michigan Wolverines
- F Yaxel Lendeborg
- F Morez Johnson Jr.
- C Aday Mara
- G Elliot Cadeau
- G Nimari Burnett
Arizona Wildcats
- F Ivan Kharchenkov
- F Koa Peat
- C Motiejus Krivas
- G Brayden Burries
- G Jaden Bradley
While Michigan has that scary all-star frontline, Arizona has a frontline that could actually match that. The Wildcats are coming off a big victory over Purdue, one of the best programs when it comes to bigs, and their trio of Kharchenkov, Peat and Krivas showed they could deal with size. Kharchenkov had 18 while Peat had 20, with Krivas grabbing 12 boards.
With the frontcourt being evenly matched, this could be decided by the guards.
Michigan vs. Arizona Final Four Injury Report
Michigan Wolverines
- G L.J. Cason: Out, knee
- G Winters Grady: Out, undisclosed
- G Ricky Liburd: Out for season, redshirted
Arizona Wildcats
- G Bryce James: Out for season, redshirted
Michigan’s three missing players might be a problem, as Arizona has some great guards to complement their frontcourt trio. As for the Wildcats, Bryce James has been redshirted so he could be eligible longer, with his father, LeBron James, agreeing that this is a good decision, so he could be developed further.
Michigan vs. Arizona Prediction
Michigan actually has the edge in the frontcourt, but there is something that Arizona has that Michigan does not: a better backcourt. While their bigs played well against Purdue, the guards were the ones who shone for Arizona, and with that edge, it should be a Wildcats win.
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