CHICAGO — There are some things that just aren't supposed to happen in an Elite Eight game. A 21-0 run is one of those things.
But it seems that no one told that to the Wolverines.
Closing the first half on an absurd 34-10 run — containing a 21-0 spurt — the No. 1 seed Michigan men's basketball team (35-3) dismantled No. 6 seed Tennessee (25-12) by a final score of 95-62. With the emphatic win, the Wolverines advanced to their first Final Four since 2018.
Before the chaos began, the Volunteers actually had control of the game. They weren't shooting particularly well, but they were crashing the offensive glass hard and picking up second-chance points. They also forced Michigan to play at a slower pace than it prefers.
The Wolverines were taking their offensive possessions down to the final seconds of the shot clock, and that's not how they like to play. So, with 11:22 left to play in the first half, Tennessee owned a 16-14 lead.
The next time the Volunteers scored, there was just 5:11 left in the period.
The 21-0 run actually started with five free throws. A nifty reverse-layup and-1 from graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg marked the first field goal, and senior guard Roddy Gayle Jr. dropped in a left-corner 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
The next time down the court, Michigan put on a ball-movement clinic. Gayle and Lendeborg both passed up 3-pointers to find a wide-open junior guard Elliot Cadeau in the right corner. The Wolverines could do no wrong.
Junior center Aday Mara put on some post moves and hooked in bucket, Lendeborg banged another triple, and Cadeau found graduate guard Nimari Burnett wide-open under the basket for a layup to conclude the 21-0 run and give Michigan a 35-16 lead.
The Wolverines wished the half would never end, and the demoralized Volunteers were desperate for any reprieve. Tennessee got its wish granted as the halftime buzzer sounded, but Michigan boasted a well-cushioned 48-26 lead.
If its any indication of how the Wolverines were feeling, Mara knocked in a trailing-transition 3-pointer in the opening minutes of the second half. It was just his third triple of the season, but everything else was going right for Michigan, so Mara let it fly.
Despite Tennessee guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie's best efforts to keep his squad in the game, things got out of hand quickly. Lendeborg was getting whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, and outside of Gillespie, the Volunteers couldn't figure anything out on offense.
As the clock ticked under 14 minutes to play, the Wolverines extended their lead to 65-34.
Once Michigan extended its lead past 30 points, nothing except and all-time epic collapse could snatch a Final Four berth from its grasp. No epic collapse ensued, and the Wolverines maintained their wide margin while draining the clock.
Lendeborg played nearly the entire game, and he concluded his dominant afternoon with 27 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.
With the win, top-seeded Michigan became the victors of the Midwest region and earned the right to cut down the nets at the United Center. But the Wolverines' ultimate goal wasn't simply to win the region. They want it all. And to earn it all, there are just two more obstacles in their path.
