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MICHIGAN 95 TENNESSEE 62 In second season at helm, coach Dusty May leads No. 1 seed Michigan past No. 6 seed Tennessee to reach Final Four DREW LENARD Deputy Sports Editor
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HICAGO — In just two weeks, Dusty May went from watching the opponent cut down the nets in Chicago’s United Center to ascending the ladder himself and making the final few snips. As the coach of the No. 1 seed Michigan men’s basketball team waved the untethered net at the surrounding fans with a wide grin on his face, all the demons of the Big Ten Tournament were exorcised. But in order to forget the recent sting of their loss to Purdue, May and the Wolverines had to dig up what feels like the distant past. After remaining deadlocked with No. 6 seed Tennessee (2512) halfway through the first half, Michigan (35-3) went on a 21-0 run reminiscent of the 40-point-plus blowouts that first garnered national
attention back in November. Even after the Volunteers regained their footing, that early deficit proved too much to ever overcome, and a breezy 95-62 victory booked the Wolverines a trip to their first Final Four since 2018. “We’re extremely proud of our guys, the way they competed against a storied program like Tennessee that’s as well-coached as anyone in the country, against a team that has battled all year and really improved as the season has gone on,” May said. “But our guys have been up to the challenge, to deliver in the biggest moments all year, and nothing changed tonight.” Both teams went right to their season-defining inside games from the jump, and as the two overtly physical frontcourts traded blows in the paint, a total of 22 first-half fouls were called. That included two apiece on junior center Aday Mara and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr., two of Michigan’s
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top three offensive scorers on the season. But that didn’t stop the Wolverines from scoring their first 22 points from 2-point range anyways. “With ‘Rez and Aday having two fouls each, we could have gotten out of our rotation, could have gotten out of rhythm,” May said. “Those guys came back in, we stayed in our rotations, and more than anything else, I think the beautiful brand of basketball we were playing became contagious. You could see these guys feeding off of each other.” When Michigan finally did get to the 3-pointer, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Wolverines had just taken the lead after scoring eight unanswered points when graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg drove on a fast break before kicking to senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. in the corner. ‘March Roddy’ calmly buried the look, forcing Tennessee coach Rick Barnes to call timeout. Barnes hoped to stunt Michigan’s
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momentum, but the attempt was futile. The onslaught was already underway. Out of the timeout, an 11-point run became a 21-point landslide. Tennessee had the looks it needed, but the Volunteers went beyond cold shooting from the field as every facet of the Wolverines’ offense clicked on the opposite end. There was a reverse layup and-1 under the hoop from Lendeborg, a corner three from junior guard Elliot Cadeau after a possession of spotless ball movement, a Mara spin move to the hole in the post — everything that’s littered Michigan’s highlight reels all season, accumulating in one massive push to Indianapolis. “I didn’t necessarily realize that (the run) was to that extent,” graduate forward Will Tschetter said. “I just kept on looking up and seeing, like, ‘Oh, they’re still at 16.’ And then we just kept on scoring.” The staggering surge eventually
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ended with a Tennessee layup to give it its 18th point of the half with five minutes left, but freshman guard Trey McKenney still punctuated a near-perfect Wolverines half with a top-of-the-key 3-pointer, sending the once-close game to half with a score of 48-26. From there on out, Sunday’s contest transformed into a showcase of everything Michigan has flashed all season. Stellar ball movement out of half-court sets and in transition created more highlight buckets, and Mara even swished a surprise spot-up 3-pointer halfway through the second half. Lendeborg, the Wolverines’ season-long superstar, continued his dominant postseason push with a loud 27 points. “That dude’s a gamer,” graduate forward Will Tschetter said of Lendeborg. “When the spotlight comes on, he’s ready to hoop. Not surprised at all (with his performance Sunday.)” And as the wheels fell off for
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Tennessee, Michigan’s wagon kept churning. Up 86-54 with four minutes to play, the Wolverines allowed their marquee man a victory lap. Up 32 points, May subbed Lendeborg out for the final time, allowing his star athlete a standing ovation sign-off for his critical contributions. Besides, he needed the rest for next weekend. The Wolverines’ bench was rolled out shortly after, allowing the coach’s son, senior guard Charlie May, to have his own March moment in the form of a corner 3-pointer with a minute to play. The last time he had an opportunity as golden as Sunday’s was in the season opener against Oakland. That makes Charlie’s bucket even more fitting on a day like Sunday — a day in which Michigan punched its ticket to the Final Four in earlyseason blowout fashion.
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