Game Of The Year For College Hoops: Michigan Vs. Arizona

Michigan vs. Arizona, 8:49 ET

For all intents and purposes, this should be the National Championship game. No disrespect intended to the Illini or Huskies, but some matchups are just more interesting and exciting than others. While Duke was the top seed overall, it was clear that these two squads were the most dominant in the tournament, and they’ve been some of the best teams all year long. Tonight, we get Michigan taking on Arizona with a trip to the National Championship on the line.

This Michigan team has a lot of swagger. I was watching their game in the Elite Eight, and the way they carry themselves is very polished and confident. There is a thin line between cocky and confident, and they definitely flirt with it, but winning games is all that really matters. I picked them to win my National Championship. Thanks to UConn’s miracle, I’ll make no money, but I still stand by the Wolverines to win it. Part of what I liked about them is that they lost the Big 10 Tournament. It is a challenge to keep winning games, and I really like seeing the team get a loss and regroup for what really matters. The Big 10 Championship means nothing; the National does. So far, the Wolverines have been destroying everyone in their path. They won by 21 in their first game, 23 in their second, 13 in the Sweet Sixteen, and 33 in the Elite Eight against Tennessee. This will be their first test, but they’ve passed every other one. 

Mar 20, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries (5) shoots against the LIU Sharks in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Arizona is the other team that has basically made light work of everyone in their path. Most of this season has been the team coasting. They are great on both sides of the ball. For the season, the Wildcats have just two losses, back-to-back games against Kansas and Texas Tech. They lost by a total of seven combined points in those two games. In the 38 games they’ve played, they have just 10 of them that were within 10 points. Most of those games were not one-possession games, though.  In the Tournament, they’ve won games by 34 points, then 12 points, then 21 in the Sweet Sixteen, and then 15 points in the Elite Eight over Purdue. 

Neither of these teams has a ton of height, but they do have a lot of excellent scorers. The Wolverines don’t really live and die by the three, but they certainly take more than the Wildcats. The team stats for these two teams' matchup really well. Michigan is averaging one more point per game, but also allows one more point per game than Arizona. Both shoot about 50% from the floor. Whoever wins this game should win the National Championship. The problem is, you’re basically looking to see who makes the last run of the game. I do think Michigan has had a tougher schedule and is still the better team (Arizona was second in Strength of Schedule according to Team Rankings with Michigan first). Give me Michigan to win it and advance.