Arizona most to blame for Final Four blowout loss to Michigan

Arizona most to blame for Final Four blowout loss to Michigan appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Arizona basketball versus Michigan became hailed as the most highly-anticipated matchup in the Final Four. The nation believed Saturday’s March Madness showdown was going to be close. The Wildcats presented their reasons on why they’d exploit the Wolverines.

Advertisement

Except Michigan handed ‘Zona its most lopsided loss of the season. The Wolverines smacked the ‘Cats from the start and didn’t let up, rolling 91-73 in Indianapolis.

Even Michigan briefly rolled without top scorer Yaxel Lendeborg, who landed awkwardly on his ankle. The forward never got to finish the first half. But Michigan still delivered its mammoth onslaught on the Wildcats.

Arizona struggling to take advantage of Lendeborg’s absence isn’t the only flaw here. Here’s where else the blame lies for the Big 12 champs.

Turnovers buried Arizona

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Surprisingly both teams turned the ball over 13 times.

Except the Wolverines turned theirs into 26 points off the Arizona miscues.

Advertisement

Head coach Tommy Lloyd entered Lucas Oil Stadium lauded for his defensive adjustments. He also created a system that created ball security issues for the opponent.

But Arizona failed to consistently turn its turnovers into offensive points, settling for just 12. They even dished just one assist amid nine early turnovers.

Worse for Arizona? Michigan got held to two fast break points, but Arizona ended with the same number too.

Arizona’s 3-point shooting dooms Wildcats

Lloyd created a balanced roster of fierce front court play mixed with stellar guards in Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries.

Yet ‘Zona stumbled to 35.3% from 3-point land. Burries struggled the worse, hitting just two from deep out of 10 attempts.

Advertisement

Bradley never attempted a three. The potential NBA Draft lottery pick Burries never received help from long range either. Only…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/arizona-most-blame-final-four-041743351.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-04-05 04:17:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.