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Free Press sports writer Christian Romo breaks down the NCAA Tournament Midwest region Elite 8 matchup between 1-seed Michigan basketball and 6-seed Tennessee on Sunday, March 29, after the Wolverines' Sweet 16 win over Alabama on Friday.
All player statistics entering Friday.
The buzz: The Wolverines have made the Elite Eight for the first time since 2021 and have a chance to make the Final Four for the third time in the last 14 seasons. But unlike their two most recent trips to the national title game, this Michigan team isn't punching above its seed, but mounting a legitimate case to be crowned the champion with offensive talent up and down the roster.
Take Friday's win against a high-powered Alabama team, for example. The Wolverines found themselves down, 49-47, at halftime, with neither center Aday Mara nor big man Morez Johnson Jr. providing much of anything on offense. But reserve guards Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle Jr. each provided the necessary lift, especially from beyond the arc, combining for 33 points and hitting clutch shots as the Wolverines pulled away in the second half.
Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg helped, as well, putting together arguably his best performance as a Wolverine with 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. When he makes his shots, the Wolverines look just about unstoppable.
But even if Lendeborg doesn't have as big an impact on offense as he did on Friday, Michigan can still look to Mara and Johnson, its second and third-leading scorers on the season, to set the tone on the inside. And then there's point guard Elliot Cadeau, who quietly pitched in 17 points and seven assists against the Crimson Tide and can take the scoring load if necessary. And with McKenney, Gayle, Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter off the bench? Good luck to any defense in the country.
There's a reason Michigan has scored at least 90 points in all three of its Tournament games.
All player statistics entering Friday.
The buzz: Not many people predicted Tennessee would be the team the Wolverines would face in the Elite Eight. But the Volunteers made it this far on defense, with the 15th-best defensive rating in the nation per KenPom, holding a top-10 Iowa State team to under 65 points on Friday.
Much of that defense comes on the interior with senior center Felix Okpara, who has averaged nearly two blocks a game over his four years of play (his first two at Ohio State and last two at Tennessee). He also pitched in 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Volunteers against Ohio State to show some offensive range, and Tennessee might need it against a high-powered Michigan offense.
Because otherwise, it's not entirely clear where the scoring is coming from on Tennessee's side. Leading scorers Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament posted 16 and 18 points, respectively, on Friday, and forward Jaylen Carey knocked out 12. But this isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut, as their 79.4 points per game ranked 92nd among all Division I teams this season.
The Wolverines should be big favorites to win this game and advance to the Final Four if they play as they have all tournament. Then again, this Tennessee squad would be a typical one to overlook with a potential Final Four matchup with Arizona or Purdue lined up. That is something Michigan will aim to avoid on Sunday.
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball vs Tennessee scouting report in March Madness Elite 8
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Fast facts
- Matchup: 1-seed Michigan (34-3, 19-1 Big Ten) vs. 6-seed Tennessee (25-11, 11-7 SEC); NCAA Tournament Midwest region Elite Eight.
- Tipoff: Sunday, March 29; 2:15 p.m. ET; United Center, Chicago.
- TV/radio: CBS; WCSX-FM (94.7) in Detroit (see Michigan radio affiliates).
- At stake: Winner advances to Final Four next weekend in Indianapolis.
Michigan basketball: Meet the Wolverines
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- Location: Ann Arbor.
- Coach: Dusty May (61-13 in two seasons at U-M; 187-82 overall in eight seasons).
- School tournament record: 71-31 in 33 appearances (eight Final Fours, one championship).
- Past 10 games: 9-1.
- Scoring leaders: Yaxel Lendeborg, 14.7 points per game; Morez Johnson Jr., 13.4; Aday Mara, 12.
- Rebounding leaders: Johnson, 7.3 rebounds per game; Lendeborg, 6.9; Mara, 6.9.
- Assist leaders: Elliot Cadeau, 5.7 assists per game; Lendeborg, 3.2; Mara, 2.5.
- 3-point leaders: Nimari Burnett, 39.5%; Trey McKinney, 37.8%; Johnson, 27.5; Cadeau, 37.5%.
All player statistics entering Friday.
The buzz: The Wolverines have made the Elite Eight for the first time since 2021 and have a chance to make the Final Four for the third time in the last 14 seasons. But unlike their two most recent trips to the national title game, this Michigan team isn't punching above its seed, but mounting a legitimate case to be crowned the champion with offensive talent up and down the roster.
Take Friday's win against a high-powered Alabama team, for example. The Wolverines found themselves down, 49-47, at halftime, with neither center Aday Mara nor big man Morez Johnson Jr. providing much of anything on offense. But reserve guards Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle Jr. each provided the necessary lift, especially from beyond the arc, combining for 33 points and hitting clutch shots as the Wolverines pulled away in the second half.
Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg helped, as well, putting together arguably his best performance as a Wolverine with 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. When he makes his shots, the Wolverines look just about unstoppable.
But even if Lendeborg doesn't have as big an impact on offense as he did on Friday, Michigan can still look to Mara and Johnson, its second and third-leading scorers on the season, to set the tone on the inside. And then there's point guard Elliot Cadeau, who quietly pitched in 17 points and seven assists against the Crimson Tide and can take the scoring load if necessary. And with McKenney, Gayle, Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter off the bench? Good luck to any defense in the country.
There's a reason Michigan has scored at least 90 points in all three of its Tournament games.
Tennessee basketball: Meet the Volunteers
- Location: Knoxville, Tennessee.
- Coach: Rick Barnes (861-464 over 39 seasons at George Mason, Providence, Clemson, Texas and Tennessee).
- School tournament record: 34-28 in 28 appearances, 0 Final Fours.
- Past 10 games: 6-4.
- Scoring leaders: Ja'Kobi Gillespie, 18.4 points per game; Nate Ament, 16.9; J.P. Estrella, 10.2.
- Rebounding leaders: Ament, 6.4 rebounds per game; Felix Okpara, 6.2; Jaylen Carey, 6.0.
- Assist leaders: Gillespie, 5.6 assists per game; Bishop Boswell, 3.1; Ament, 2.3.
- 3-point leaders: Boswell, 39.4%; Amaree Abram, 36.8%; Gillespie, 34.5%.
All player statistics entering Friday.
The buzz: Not many people predicted Tennessee would be the team the Wolverines would face in the Elite Eight. But the Volunteers made it this far on defense, with the 15th-best defensive rating in the nation per KenPom, holding a top-10 Iowa State team to under 65 points on Friday.
Much of that defense comes on the interior with senior center Felix Okpara, who has averaged nearly two blocks a game over his four years of play (his first two at Ohio State and last two at Tennessee). He also pitched in 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Volunteers against Ohio State to show some offensive range, and Tennessee might need it against a high-powered Michigan offense.
Because otherwise, it's not entirely clear where the scoring is coming from on Tennessee's side. Leading scorers Ja'Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament posted 16 and 18 points, respectively, on Friday, and forward Jaylen Carey knocked out 12. But this isn't exactly an offensive juggernaut, as their 79.4 points per game ranked 92nd among all Division I teams this season.
The Wolverines should be big favorites to win this game and advance to the Final Four if they play as they have all tournament. Then again, this Tennessee squad would be a typical one to overlook with a potential Final Four matchup with Arizona or Purdue lined up. That is something Michigan will aim to avoid on Sunday.
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball vs Tennessee scouting report in March Madness Elite 8
Continue reading...
