Tarris Reed Jr. (5) of the UConn Huskies shoots the ball against Maliq Brown (6) of the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight in the NCAA men's basketball tournament at Capital One Arena on Sunday in Washington, DC.Patrick Smith/Getty Images
CHICAGO – Yaxel Lendeborg scored 27 points, Elliot Cadeau had 10 assists and Michigan rolled into the Final Four, overwhelming Tennessee for a 95-62 victory in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
Morez Johnson Jr. added 12 points for top-seeded Michigan, which posted its 11th victory this season by at least 30 points. Aday Mara had 11 points and blocked two shots in the Midwest Region final.
Making the most of its size and athleticism on both sides of the court, Michigan (35-3) advanced to its first Final Four since 2018 and ninth overall. Next up is a compelling national semi-final against Arizona on Saturday.
Under second-year coach Dusty May – who took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023 – the Wolverines became the first school to win at least four games in an NCAA tourney by double digits while scoring at least 90 points in each.
Lendeborg, who was named the region’s most outstanding player, was 10 for 19 from the field. He became the first Michigan player to score at least 23 points in three consecutive NCAA tournament games since Juwan Howard did it in four straight in 1994.
UConn stuns Duke in East Regional final
WASHINGTON – Braylon Mullins sank a desperation three -pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing victory over top-seeded Duke, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit.
The Blue Devils (35-3) led by three before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected by Demary, and after UConn came up with the ball, Mullins swished a three from 35 feet away.
It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year’s tournament. The Blue Devils led by six with 1:14 remaining before falling to Houston in last year’s national semi-finals.
UConn (33-5) missed 18 of its first 19 attempts from three-point range and finished 5 for 23. The fifth will be remembered in Connecticut for generations.