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Arizona Michigan, the best two teams in the country are set to do battle in the Final Four
1:18
for a spot in the title game.
1:20
Can Arizona win again?
1:21
This is Lockdown Wildcats.
1:24
You are Lockdown Wildcats, your daily podcast on the Arizona Wildcats.
1:36
Part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day.
1:41
What's up, Wildcats Nation?
1:43
I'm Leaf Tuline here in Northern California after attending the Elite 8.
1:50
This is a Final Four edition of Lockdown Wildcats.
1:52
I'm fired up to bring it to you guys.
1:54
This episode's brought to you by Mazda.
1:56
Like our players were driven by the details.
1:58
Highlights make the real, but the work behind them makes it count.
2:01
Stay tuned for this week's Mazda moving the game forward in a moment.
2:04
They all knew Mazda CX-5 more to move every side of you.
2:09
Today on the show, I'll set the table for Arizona and Michigan.
2:12
Breakdown each team's season, where advantages could lie for each side,
2:16
and what matchups to watch, and how great this game will be.
2:20
So let's dive right in.
2:21
Firstly, I think these are the best two teams of the country,
2:25
and it's not just because they made the Final Four and Duke did not.
2:28
I have believed all season long that Arizona and Michigan are 1A and 1B.
2:33
I think that Duke was a step below because they were so dependent on one single player
2:37
in Arizona and Michigan have elite depth,
2:39
but also NBA talents on the roster, and you could argue more NBA talents,
2:43
and I would argue that.
2:45
These are the two most talented rosters in the country.
2:47
They're very well coached, and they're both enormous,
2:50
and they lead on offense and on defense.
2:52
I am a little bit bummed that this game isn't the title game,
2:55
but I adore that we get to see it.
2:57
This is just the fifth time, as a college basketball fan,
3:00
just the fifth time ever that two teams have met in the Final Four with 35 plus wins.
3:05
And this one's even more impressive because it's the Final Four,
3:08
and it's not the championship.
3:10
Meaning there was one fewer time to try to get that 35th win.
3:14
So the hype is real, it's palpable, it's awesome.
3:18
And as soon as the bracket came out,
3:19
I felt pretty confident we would see this matchup.
3:21
I mentioned the bracket over here,
3:22
I felt like Michigan had the best drop of anyone.
3:25
I thought it was annoying that Arizona was on the same side as Michigan,
3:30
because Frank, they would rather play Duke,
3:32
even though Duke beat Michigan.
3:34
The other part about this is I think Arizona had a better resume than Duke
3:38
and Duke with the number one overall seed,
3:40
but you know what, doesn't matter now.
3:42
I'm excited to see this matchup,
3:44
like I said, I wish it were the final game of the season,
3:46
because I think it deserves to be that.
3:47
But the hype is real.
3:49
These two teams are the best teams in the country,
3:52
and in my opinion, the best teams to play in the Final Four,
3:54
and the most equally matched teams,
3:56
to play in the Final Four in quite some time.
3:57
I think the only other game recently
4:00
that's kind of had this appeal where I'm like,
4:02
oh yeah, these are the best two teams in the country by far,
4:04
and they're going to meet in the Final Four,
4:06
and I felt confident throughout the year,
4:08
would be Baylor Gonzaga.
4:10
And that was in 2021.
4:12
But the thing is, I felt more separated, those two teams,
4:16
I was all in them Baylor that year.
4:17
I thought their ball pressure was unbelievable.
4:19
I thought Gonzaga didn't have quite the testing,
4:21
the seasoning that Baylor did by playing the Big 12.
4:25
Arizona and Michigan play more similarly than those two teams,
4:28
or build more similarly in my opinion,
4:30
I have a more similar level.
4:32
These two teams, while they both embody modern basketball,
4:36
with size, and just modern and taking apart analytics,
4:42
and deciding, yeah, this is how we're going to maximize
4:44
our output with analytics.
4:46
They both embody it.
4:48
They both have up and coming coaches
4:50
who are kind of new to their program,
4:53
and they do all those things well,
4:55
but they approach it differently.
4:57
And I'm so excited to see that.
4:58
Both of these teams are enormous.
4:59
Both are elite and offensive defense.
5:01
They have a different approach on how to defend,
5:04
For philosophically, they are very different,
5:07
but they have the same roster recruiting,
5:10
and building of a roster pitch.
5:12
They're going to be huge at every position.
5:15
They're going to play fairly quickly.
5:17
Arizona and Michigan are separated by a smidge
5:19
in according to the analytics,
5:20
and they're built very similarly
5:22
according to the analytical profiles.
5:24
Firstly, they're both massive defensively.
5:27
They're even better than they are offensively,
5:28
where both are top 10.
5:30
They both have multiple bigs,
5:32
and they have a nice mix of new faces
5:34
that's not so typical.
5:36
Arizona, of course, you know,
5:38
they're starting life as three freshmen.
5:40
Usually that's a huge storyline going into March.
5:43
This team can't win, because they're built on freshmen.
5:46
Well, Koa, Pete, and Brayden Burries,
5:48
in the sweet 16, and 23, and 21.
5:51
Burries are 23, Pete, with 21.
5:53
Koa let all stores with 20 in the elite,
5:55
it got the most outstanding player.
5:56
The region, Burries, was honored, of course, as well.
5:59
And then there's the Axel, who's 24,
6:01
but he's new to Michigan.
6:02
Adai Mara from UCLA, new to Michigan.
6:05
Maraz Johnson from Illinois, new to Michigan.
6:08
And then, of course, you have some holdovers
6:09
like Kriva Awesome Bradley,
6:11
and Michigan's case, not too many holders,
6:14
and Mara and Burdenets that have been there for a little bit,
6:16
but there are veterans on the team,
6:18
on that team that make them formidable.
6:22
You don't see that too much in college basketball,
6:23
where there's a mix of how this team is comprised.
6:26
And I think what the benefit of NIL is,
6:29
you can pay for a team with great depth,
6:30
you can pay for a team that resembles exactly
6:33
how you want to coach, and both these teams have broadsters
6:37
that embody how these coaches want to play,
6:40
and it embodies current modern basketball,
6:42
and they're very hard to beat.
6:43
That's why these teams have been the best throughout the season.
6:45
Usually, there's more ebbs and flows.
6:47
These two have been the best all season long,
6:48
and it's a joy that they get to meet.
6:50
This is how similar these teams are.
6:52
Arizona's 0.6 points per 100 possessions,
6:55
better in offense, and Michigan's 0.6 points
6:59
per 100 possessions, better on defense.
7:01
Basically, dead either.
7:03
Michigan scores 49% of their points from two,
7:05
32 from three, shooting 37% from three,
7:08
and they shoot a lot more threes than Arizona does.
7:12
Defensively, Michigan holds teams
7:14
to a nation's best effective field goal percentage,
7:16
holding teams to 31% from three,
7:18
and 44% from two, Arizona is right up there on defense.
7:23
And to me, the way I boil it down for you
7:26
in terms of an overview, this would be an unbiased overview.
7:28
Obviously, I'm rooting for Arizona,
7:29
and I've watched my Arizona,
7:31
but to me, Arizona's the most consistent
7:33
great team in the country,
7:35
that their pendulum doesn't swing as far
7:37
in either direction, that they're really good,
7:40
really good, but their bad doesn't really deviate.
7:43
Michigan, I think, has the highest level of very good.
7:46
When they're rocking and rolling,
7:48
they're elite, and frankly,
7:50
they are almost untouchable when they're rolling.
7:54
However, they are more touchable on more nights
8:00
Arizona just wears teams down,
8:02
and no one can stay with them for as long as 40 minutes is.
8:06
And when Arizona's been healthy, they have not lost.
8:08
They're extremely consistent.
8:10
They are physically overwhelming.
8:12
They have multiple guys that can get out and score.
8:15
Michigan's similar in that regard.
8:16
And even when Michigan hasn't been their best,
8:18
they've eaked out wins because, well, quite frankly,
8:21
their best doesn't always need it
8:23
because they have an all of it,
8:25
first team all American, the Axel-Anneberg.
8:27
They have arguably a lottery talent in a big man
8:31
who's one of the best room protection in the country,
8:33
who also orchestrates their offense
8:34
at seven foot three in a dimarrow.
8:36
They have, more as Johnson, who in his own regard
8:39
could be an all American caliber player
8:41
if he weren't flanked by two others.
8:43
And that's their front court alone.
8:45
They have multiple guards.
8:46
They did lose a guard in LJ Grayson
8:48
and their depth has been thinned.
8:50
But this team is a juggernaut.
8:51
They just have days where their shots not fall as much,
8:54
they still play the same way,
8:55
and you could live in that by the three.
8:57
In some days, they're more vulnerable than others.
8:59
We'll get to that in a little bit.
9:01
But like I said, Arizona's the most consistent team this season,
9:05
and they have a gear that they get to that very few can touch.
9:09
Michigan has a gear that may even be better
9:11
than Arizona's top gear,
9:12
but their main gear doesn't quite go as fast as Arizona's.
9:17
These teams are elite.
9:19
And frankly, the only team I feared all season
9:21
has been the Michigan Wolverines.
9:23
Casey Jacobson from Fox have had on a couple of times,
9:26
and each time he's told me the team he has to beat
9:28
is the Michigan Wolverines since the beginning.
9:30
I've had Arizona, and now it's coming to fruition,
9:32
the battle between the best teams in the country,
9:34
and virtually, statistically, nothing separates the two.
9:37
But I'll do my best to familiarize you guys with Michigan,
9:40
as well as give you guys what stylistically different
9:43
between these two teams.
9:44
All that and more, next, unlock the Wildcats.
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This is Mazda's moving the game forward.
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For those who know, the score never tells the whole story.
9:59
Arizona's co-op heat with 20 points
10:02
led the way the elite ate.
10:03
He won the most outstanding player of the Western regional,
10:07
and that was something that just made sense.
10:11
Mr. Arizona defined this team,
10:13
the resilience, the toughness, and the star power.
10:16
There's more to these players than just the highlights.
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The early mornings, the late night runs,
10:20
the constantly showing up for their squad on and off the court.
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I also want to tell you about wonderful drink
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11:04
for the Five-Hour Energy Flavor draft.
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The Cinderella season is over.
11:07
There are no Cinderella's, it's Illinois and Yukon
11:10
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11:12
And those are the big boys,
11:13
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where you can hang out with me and I'm hanging out daily.
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Click the link, listen to these shows,
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and click the link in the show notes,
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or go to locked on wildcats.supercats.com
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to claim your free month.
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All righty, welcome back to locked on wildcats.
11:54
Not much separates these two juggernaut statistically.
11:57
I told you guys that a moment of time,
11:59
I told you guys that a moment ago, Arizona and Michigan,
12:03
just about identical and offensive defensive efficiency,
12:07
they are the top two teams in the country.
12:08
They have been from much of the season
12:09
that regard Duke of course floated back and forth
12:11
in their Arizona, had nine straight weeks
12:13
as the number one team in the country.
12:15
That was the most of the season.
12:16
Michigan was right there for a while,
12:18
Duke had a brief stay.
12:20
Those have been the three best teams,
12:21
but these have been the best two.
12:23
They have more options,
12:25
and I want to familiarize you with the options.
12:27
And I'll try to give you some differences.
12:29
Both these teams will start with a similarity.
12:32
They are both juggernauts,
12:33
they're both very difficult to beat.
12:34
They have both won by about 22 points per game
12:37
in this tournament.
12:39
Each of them are predictable in a sense
12:41
that they take away the rim
12:42
and they score well inside due to their size.
12:44
Michigan is slightly more reliant on three
12:47
and they like to get out and score and transition
12:50
and that's what makes them their best.
12:53
Both teams will try to win the games on the glass,
12:55
and the other tends to impose their will
13:00
and rebounding as well.
13:02
So what that means to me is that probably
13:04
you're gonna get to a stalemate on the glass.
13:05
You know, it could be wrong.
13:06
Purdue was great on the glass for a half,
13:08
Arizona was great on the glass for a half,
13:09
Arizona plus eight to finish.
13:11
Arizona though, here's a difference.
13:13
They are more bashful shooting threes.
13:14
You guys know this.
13:15
They don't shoot a ton of them.
13:16
They beat Florida by only shooting five threes
13:20
They scored 90 plus on numerous games
13:21
without making more than two threes.
13:23
Arizona made five threes against Purdue,
13:25
shot 15, they hardly shot any threes
13:28
and five eight and scored a hundred 90
13:30
Michigan's going to take threes,
13:32
and that's what makes them so explosive
13:33
is that they can get stops in a hurry
13:36
and they can get a lot of them against Tennessee
13:37
and the elite eight.
13:38
Tennessee was leading early in that game.
13:39
Tennessee was scoring hard shots.
13:40
They were getting extra possessions,
13:42
but then Michigan started hitting threes
13:44
and the game was over in a blink of the eye.
13:46
Arizona's more hardworking kind of blue collar.
13:51
They have to ground and pound you.
13:52
Michigan just has a flash in the pan.
13:54
When they get going, they get going.
13:56
And Michigan is not bashful shooting threes
13:59
and sometimes they hurt them.
14:00
They have these stretches where they're not as good.
14:03
They make their kill shot runs,
14:05
which are 10-0 runs according to Evan Mia,
14:07
and very frequently they have the most kill shots
14:10
Arizona, excuse me, they have the most biggest kill shots.
14:14
They have a lot of 10-0s
14:16
and they have the most of where it gets to beyond 10-0
14:19
and it gets to 15 and 20.
14:21
Arizona has the most kill shots in the country.
14:24
And they have a more workman-like approach
14:25
to wearing teams out.
14:26
And eventually they wear teams out.
14:28
They lead for a while and they finish games
14:29
leading by 12 against Utah State,
14:31
by 15 against Purdue, despite adversity
14:34
of both those games.
14:35
Here's the difference.
14:36
I think Michigan can shoot themselves out of a game
14:39
but they can also shoot components
14:40
out of the game themselves with shooting the threes
14:42
and they always keep themselves in and up
14:44
because of defense as a lead.
14:45
Arizona, they impose their will
14:48
and try to score in the paint.
14:49
And Arizona will still have to score in the paint
14:51
despite the size and depth of Michigan.
14:54
Arizona's done well against big teams
14:56
against Florida, co-op, Pete had 30.
14:58
Against Purdue, playing two bigs,
14:59
Arizona, the second half imposed their will
15:01
got downhill and scored.
15:02
Michigan's athletes are different
15:04
than the athletes of Purdue.
15:06
They're quicker, they're bigger, they're better athletes.
15:09
But I want to take a deep dive
15:10
at looking at personnel.
15:12
I'll just go position by position.
15:13
Jayden Bradley, a point guard.
15:15
There's an advantage for Arizona against Eli Kado.
15:18
Michigan's Elliott Kado has shouldered a heavy load
15:20
especially since LJK since injury.
15:23
He tore his ACL against Wisconsin
15:25
and he's been averaging 34 minutes per game
15:30
and might have been against Illinois.
15:31
I think it was against Illinois.
15:32
Anyway, he got injured late in the season
15:34
and he faces a massive test in Jayden Bradley.
15:38
Jayden Bradley, big 12 player of the year, clutch steps in.
15:41
I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona
15:43
tries to force turnovers.
15:44
Elliott Kado is a turnover from guard
15:47
who's also had some weak moments of March Madison
15:50
as fast where he got what's called dorked.
15:52
Meaning that he was dared to shoot
15:54
against Alabama a couple years ago
15:56
in his North Carolina teams of one seat
15:58
and he couldn't shoot the ball at all
16:00
and they hurt them.
16:01
He got revenge in this game against
16:05
former guy who tore him into the game
16:07
in that regard in eight and eight oats.
16:08
They played and he talked his talk and they won.
16:11
But I think there's an advantage
16:13
and it's distinct to one of the most important positions
16:15
on the court for Arizona.
16:17
Now the two guard, Bradenburg is a far better player
16:20
than the Murray Brunette,
16:20
but the Murray Brunette plays his role excellently.
16:22
Defensively inclined guard with size
16:24
runs the floor hits open shots.
16:26
They also have Roddy Gale
16:28
and Tray McKinney out the bench in the back court.
16:30
So they have a lot of depth
16:31
and they're very physically imposing
16:33
at every spot except for Elliott Kado.
16:35
Now this is where they get become enormous.
16:37
The Axel Enderberg was the first team of all American
16:39
and we always talk about Yvonne being a huge tree.
16:42
The Axel is 23 and a half, like nearly 24 years old.
16:46
And he talks a lot and I personally just don't like Yaxel.
16:51
I find him irritating.
16:52
I don't like the way he talks in his pressers
16:56
and I think it's in a church considering how old he is.
16:58
But regardless, he is a very, very impactful player
17:01
and he has stepped up
17:02
and he does two things exceptionally well that I admire.
17:06
In big games, he often guards the best player.
17:08
I wouldn't be surprised to see him guard Jaden Bradley.
17:10
I won't be surprised to see him guard Bradenburgs.
17:13
I won't be surprised to see him guard Copie.
17:14
So he's extremely versatile
17:16
and he can guard those different guys
17:18
and then he gets out and run.
17:19
He has guard skills and use physicality
17:21
to punish smaller defenders.
17:23
The other thing he does really well
17:25
is recently he's been shooting the ball very well.
17:27
He and Yvonne are, I don't think those two will match up
17:30
but obviously I think Karchenka was awesome.
17:32
I love him and I think they're both NBA players
17:35
but Yaxel Enderberg has the advantage there.
17:37
More as Johnson and Copie, more as Johnson's a freak.
17:40
He's an amazing athlete, can jump out of the gym
17:43
is a tremendous rebounder Copie in big games.
17:46
I would argue Arizona in the biggest of the big games
17:50
that they've relied heaviest on Copie.
17:52
Florida, big troll championship against Houston.
17:54
He shows up and delivers in those big game.
17:56
Mr. Arizona is a four time state champ, four time USA.
18:00
The guy knows how to win and shows up big time in big games
18:04
and he'll need to do so again,
18:05
but against more as Johnson, against Yaxel Enderberg,
18:08
he won't necessarily have a physical strength to manage
18:10
nor a speed advantage as much because these guys
18:12
are just as much of mod stars
18:14
if we were gonna go with a movie reference
18:16
as Arizona's front court.
18:18
And then there's a Daimara on Kumo Kreebos.
18:20
These guys are as similar as they can be.
18:22
Kreebos and Mara, both tremendous touch,
18:25
both good in the post, great at defending,
18:27
they can guard in space, they can take away the rim.
18:29
And Arizona's reliance, the rim is scary in the sense of,
18:32
yes, they're going to get there and try to score in the rim
18:35
but there's also the issue that a Daimara can really
18:38
change shots just like Mo Kreebos does for Arizona
18:41
and Michigan will try to make Arizona shoot different shots.
18:45
It's like a legitimate possibility
18:47
whereas no other team in the country
18:49
has been able to take Arizona from the rim
18:51
when fully healthy.
18:52
I'm not saying Michigan will, but it's possible.
18:55
Arizona must score inside at nearly a normal rate
18:59
Maybe they need to hit a couple extra threes, of course,
19:02
but they need to score inside a similar rate
19:04
to win this game because the math,
19:06
then if they do not, favors Michigan
19:07
because they are very good three point shooting team
19:09
and they certainly are not bashful to do so.
19:12
I do think that one important factor will be
19:14
which big can stay out of Falchro.
19:16
Mara got in Falchro against Tennessee.
19:17
It just didn't matter because they don't have the horses to score.
19:20
Arizona's got the best depth of talent in the country.
19:22
I think they're whole starting five
19:23
or NBA players next year if they want to be.
19:26
I think there's a world Kreebos and Karchenko come back.
19:28
Michigan probably not quite that same level of talent
19:31
but the Axle will be a lottery pick.
19:34
I think Mara has an outside case
19:35
to be a lottery pick or a top 20 pick.
19:37
And then of course, you look at Mora's Johnson
19:40
who I think can be an all-American next year if he returns.
19:42
I don't think their guards are quite as good as Arizona
19:44
and that's where guards and guard play really matter in March.
19:47
Late in the game, I trust Burries and Bradley Moore
19:49
that I do Elliot could do.
19:51
I think Arizona has more heavily talented players
19:54
but Michigan has a few more athletic guys
19:57
and I think that their pop plays,
20:00
I'm not saying point,
20:02
paint oriented points in this case,
20:03
but just those flashy plays and those athleticism
20:06
that Michigan has is slightly favorite in their direction.
20:09
Michigan is a rough rugged team that pressures them
20:12
but makes them great is when they run and score.
20:14
Arizona cannot let them do so
20:16
and I think Arizona needs their guards to be stars,
20:20
absolute stars to win this basketball game.
20:22
Arizona will have to limit live ball turnovers
20:25
and I would dare if I'm making keys early
20:27
and I'll have other episodes to this.
20:29
I would dare Kado and Burnett to beat me
20:32
and trust the size of the front court to keep pace
20:34
because that's what Arizona has done all season long.
20:36
Coming up next, I'll give you my thoughts
20:38
on the elite eight wins from both these teams
20:40
and their seasons as a whole.
20:42
That and a little more on the preview side
20:45
coming up next, I'm locked on Wildcats.
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Fandall, play your game.
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Welcome back to Lockdown Wildcats.
22:30
I think this game has the makings for a classic.
22:33
And if Arizona puts the onus on Michigan's guards
22:36
in a rare situation to try to carry the load
22:38
and take the ball away from the hands
22:41
of the waiting transition baskets for a yaxle,
22:44
the second chance points that Maurez Johnson
22:47
and Adyemara live for.
22:49
Those guys are vulnerable.
22:52
And my biggest area is a differential like I alluded to
22:55
is Michigan's spurred ability
22:57
and their three points shooting up and down.
22:58
So they can shoot themselves into a game
23:00
but they can also shoot themselves out of a game
23:02
but they can also shoot you out of a game.
23:03
And they tend to shoot you out of the game
23:05
because they're defensive suspect active.
23:07
Controlling the pain of this game,
23:09
it is the name of the game.
23:10
Because Arizona threw through four games
23:13
and throughout this season,
23:14
before games of March Madness,
23:16
they shot over 130 free throws.
23:19
And they went 20 and 22 against Purdue
23:21
and that was the fewest they'd taken.
23:23
They shoot a ton of free throws.
23:24
They dominate the interior.
23:27
Well, spoiler, as does Michigan.
23:29
So who can impose their will and live into line
23:32
more in this game will really matter.
23:33
Who can get the bigs into foul trouble?
23:35
Who can put rim pressure into foul pressure?
23:37
That's what Arizona does so well, Michigan
23:39
as the tools to make it difficult.
23:41
Arizona has a steadier baseline level
23:43
and that's been unreal all season.
23:45
But you've seen it and felt to this week and year.
23:47
There really are to be, but Michigan,
23:49
they have a few dips,
23:50
they have some shooting issues to drop them.
23:52
They also have a level
23:54
that's really hard to beat.
23:55
Now, so I've said that a couple times
23:57
and I want that to be reiterated.
23:59
But here's an example.
24:00
Arizona shot 120 free throws in four games.
24:03
There at Michigan, malls, teams around the rim,
24:05
denying them all those things,
24:06
make their shoot hard shots.
24:08
Tennessee was playing as good a basketball as anyone.
24:10
They didn't have the horses though.
24:12
They didn't have the depth of talent that Arizona does.
24:14
They don't have the depth of talent that Michigan does.
24:16
And Tennessee was up early.
24:17
They were playing well.
24:18
And then Michigan ran them out of gym.
24:20
And it wasn't so much that they got hot.
24:21
They got hot for a stretch,
24:22
so they was really their defense overwhelms them.
24:25
Then they played Alabama.
24:26
Alabama shot well, having a slight lead,
24:29
just like St. Louis started well against Michigan.
24:31
But what happens is those teams don't have the depth of talent,
24:33
the depth of athletes, the Michigan does,
24:35
and they ran them away.
24:36
Both these teams have similar recipes.
24:39
Arizona played a tight game against your tough state.
24:40
They're up 18, then they're up four,
24:42
and then they finished up 12.
24:44
They beat the brakes off of Arkansas.
24:47
They played a tight game against Purdue
24:48
where they trailed by seven and a half, but one by 15.
24:52
These type of teams are juggernauts.
24:54
And I'm trying to go through the losses for Michigan.
24:57
And the three losses for Michigan, of course, Arizona is two.
25:00
And you guys know all about them.
25:01
I think they have not lost the season
25:02
while being healthy.
25:04
And the two losses that they did have there,
25:06
basically even in rebounds,
25:08
and they had very few paint points.
25:10
The three losses for Michigan,
25:11
I'll have three, a couple of things in common.
25:14
One, they played against teams that can control pace
25:16
and did not turn the ball over frequently
25:17
in Wisconsin, Duke, and Purdue.
25:19
And those games, those teams hit threes.
25:23
Those are the stats.
25:24
Arizona, I think, will need to hit more threes
25:26
than their customers are doing.
25:28
It's not the usual recipe,
25:29
but you gotta step up in games where it's needed.
25:32
Wisconsin hit a million threes.
25:34
They actually hit a ton of threes in big-ton tournament
25:36
and barely lost to Michigan.
25:39
Duke, they didn't hit a ton of threes,
25:40
but what they did is controlled the glass
25:42
and they controlled the pace.
25:43
It was totally on Duke's terms.
25:45
Purdue, we saw what they do really well.
25:47
They don't turn the ball over.
25:49
Purdue doesn't turn the ball over
25:51
and Michigan couldn't get out and run.
25:53
And the first time they met,
25:54
they did control the pace.
25:56
And it was kind of a similar story.
25:58
That they were ahead
25:59
and they were just too big, too physical, too strong
26:02
But the second time, Braden Smith stepped up,
26:05
had a lot of assists,
26:06
Fletcher lawyer, Sword,
26:07
Trey Coffman, when it was great.
26:09
That big threes formidable.
26:11
but they just outmaned them out,
26:13
athleteed them in the second half
26:14
and were just too forceful going through them.
26:17
Arizona, I don't think,
26:18
can be as forcefully dominant in attacking the rack.
26:21
Of course, they can place sharply in Duke
26:22
and score going to the rim,
26:24
man on man and just be great
26:26
because they have NBA athletes.
26:27
They have skilled players.
26:29
But it's going to take some scripted place,
26:33
some three point shooting
26:34
and some special, special shot making
26:37
from different guys.
26:38
Because I think this team is just about as hard to beat
26:42
as Arizona is respectively.
26:43
Because Arizona, you only beat
26:45
if you can shoot over the top
26:46
of their excellent defense.
26:48
Or you can minimize their amazing offense
26:50
where they could have 90 pop points in one game,
26:52
points in the paint plus free throws made.
26:54
These are all things
26:55
and that didn't even feel like out of character.
26:57
Of course, the game was sped up,
26:58
but they were getting the same shots
26:59
they always get against bad defenses.
27:02
Arizona and Michigan are going to bring
27:04
the best out of one another.
27:05
Michigan's guards aren't as good as Arizona's,
27:08
but their guards out the bench, shoot the ball well.
27:10
They'll need to be huge.
27:11
Arizona, I think they'll need more of Anthony Delorso.
27:14
They played a short rotation.
27:15
You see more and more of CarChanko.
27:17
I think you're gonna need extra shot making.
27:20
I think you're going to need Tobaya Waka
27:22
to be amazing in this game.
27:24
And I'm not saying he has to play huge minutes,
27:26
but you just need to be so good in this game,
27:28
the high leverage stakes of this one.
27:31
My gut tells me that Arizona's superior back court
27:36
should shine when it matters most
27:37
and condone Burnett do not wow me whatsoever.
27:41
But I'll need more time to preview
27:42
and go through stats and keys,
27:44
to find keys to the game with course grinding statistics.
27:47
The line right now, Michigan fair by one, one and a half,
27:52
my gut likes Arizona Wildcats.
27:54
I just think the DeMor dependable team
27:56
with better back court and a more veteran leadership,
28:00
a team that's more connected
28:02
and it has fewer up to the downs,
28:04
has to be favorite.
28:05
And again, it's also played in football stadium
28:07
where shooting usually is harder
28:09
and a team that shoots more is Michigan.
28:11
I've got Arizona right now.
28:13
Of course, I usually will say that
28:15
because they're really good.
28:16
It's not time to ingratiate myself
28:18
and try to make picks just to make you guys happy.
28:22
So that picks always been a smart one.
28:24
This one said one of the most true toss of thriss.
28:27
Like I said, pity this isn't the championship game
28:29
but how privileged we are to see the final four
28:32
and see these two Titanic teams match up.
28:35
Thank you guys for tuning in to Lockdown Wildcats today.
28:38
Tomorrow's show is a fun one.
28:40
I got Reggie Geary coming on the show
28:42
to react to the season that has been
28:44
and is still going,
28:45
plus here is his thoughts on playing Michigan.
28:48
former Arizona Wildcat Reggie Geary,
28:50
current commentator,
28:51
we'll talk about the ball
28:52
that the Wildcats will play heading into the final four.
28:55
And if you never miss an episode,
28:57
the everyday club is built for you
28:58
to get Lockdown Wildcats ad free,
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plus members only discord access and more,
29:01
head to lockdownwildcats.supercast.com
29:05
For those of you on video,
29:06
as soon as you're the first ever,
29:07
24-7 National Lockdown podcast network,
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YouTube channel on audio.
29:12
make sure you make your second lesson
29:14
Lockdown College Basketball
29:15
with Andy Patton, Isaac Shade.
29:17
And I talked with them
29:18
on Lockdown College Basketball just today.
29:22
It's final four week.
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It's the best time of the year.
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and Arizona is still kicking.
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you're locking in for events.
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