The Michigan Wolverines are preparing for a matchup with the Arizona Wildcats in the Final Four on Saturday in Indianapolis. The Wolverines have been a force all season long, led by Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg and a solid supporting cast in Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau, among others.
As for the Wildcats, they are only one of two teams that finished higher than Michigan this season, and they are also one of two teams that have the talent to match the Wolverines. Arizona
has projected first-round picks Motiejus Krivas, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, as well as Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley. This game could be filled with future NBA stars when we look back in a few years.
This matchup is stacked with storylines. Two top teams in a semifinal, a coaching matchup with gravitas, and the path to this point has been grueling. But these storylines have been discussed before.
Today, I want to talk about how this Final Four matchup has all the similarities to the 2024 Rose Bowl between Michigan and Alabama, with the key factor being this game feels like the de facto title game. The 2024 Rose Bowl carried an extraordinary weight for a semifinal game, and there were several converging reasons why it felt like the real National Championship.
Michigan and Alabama represented the two most storied programs of their respective eras. Alabama under Nick Saban was the dynasty of this generation — six national titles since 2009, a perennial playoff presence and always in the mix for the championship. Michigan, meanwhile, was completing one of the most dominant single seasons in Big Ten history, going 13-0 heading into the CFP and breaking down opponents with a punishing, old-school run-first offense. When those two brands met, it felt like a clash of college football’s past and present royalty.
Does that sound familiar? Tommy Lloyd took over Arizona in 2021, and since then, Arizona has always been a threat out of the Big 12. Lloyd has built the Wildcats into a juggernaut by being old-school – only 26.4 percent of Arizona’s field goal attempts this season have come from deep, ranking 363rd out of 365 teams per ESPN.
But they’ve still dominated everyone. Arizona is easily the best defensive team in the country, entering the week ranked first in adjusted defensive efficiency. Lloyd continues to coach a brand of basketball that works for him and his team, just as Saban did for the Tide. While the championships aren’t there, the philosophies are similar.
As for Michigan, head coach Dusty May is the new guy in town that everyone wants to replicate. May’s strategy of attacking the portal for guys who all have growth will become the new norm, and we will see teams around the country cutting ties with starters to get the guy that could be the next Lendeborg. The Wolverines pride themselves on a fast offense that never lets up, and even when they are trailing, one run will make the difference and get Michigan to victory.
But it’s not just coaching philosophies that draw ties to the 2024 Rose Bowl. This game truly feels like the National Championship before we actually get to Monday night. Although Alabama was a No. 4 seed in that CFP, it was widely known to be much better than its ranking. Everyone knew a Saban team was a threat to win it all. When looking at the other side of the bracket, the Washington Huskies and the Texas Longhorns had very solid seasons, but neither felt like a legitimate threat to win the national title.
Alabama had future NFL Draft picks up and down the lineup even in what was considered a “down year.” Michigan had 12 players taken in the following draft, including J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Kris Jenkins and Mike Sainristil, plus an offensive line that was arguably the best in the country. The sheer density of NFL-caliber talent on the field in Pasadena dwarfed what was on display in the Sugar Bowl.
That same argument can be made on Saturday between the first and second games. Arizona and Michigan have up to nine NBA prospects between them, with more possibly going to play professionally overseas or in the G League. The other matchup between Illinois and UConn has no shortage of talent, but it still feels like one of Michigan or Arizona is going to win it all – just as it did in 2024 between the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide.
