Yaxel Lendeborg and deep, unselfish Michigan roll into the Final Four, beating Tennessee 95-62

CHICAGO (AP) — It was Yaxel Lendeborg, Elliot Cadeau and Aday Mara. Morez Johnson Jr., Trey McKenney and Nimari Burnett, too. The list goes on and on.

Michigan got it done together, just like it has all season long.

“The biggest focus is playing team basketball,” Lendeborg said. “We thrive off of that.”

Lendeborg scored 27 points, Cadeau had 10 assists and the deep, unselfish Wolverines rolled into the Final Four, overwhelming Tennessee for a 95-62 victory in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Johnson added 12 points for Michigan, which has 11 victories this season by at least 30 points. Mara had 11 points and blocked two shots in the Midwest Region final.

Making the most of its size and athleticism on both sides of the court, Michigan (35-3) advanced to its first Final Four since 2018 and ninth overall. Next up is a showdown with fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in Saturday's national semifinals.

“We always wanted to play against them, that team,” Lendeborg said. “They're a really, really good team, so it's going to be a super fun matchup.”

Under second-year coach Dusty May — who took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023 — the Wolverines became the first school to win at least four games in an NCAA tourney by double digits while scoring at least 90 points in each.

“Our guys have been up to the challenge, to deliver in the biggest moments all year, and nothing changed tonight,” May said.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting for Tennessee (25-12), which lost in the Elite Eight for the third straight year under Rick Barnes. The 71-year-old coach reached his only Final Four in 2003 with Texas.

Felix Okpara finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for the Volunteers, who shot just 32% (24 of 76) from the field. Each team had 42 rebounds — a major problem for a Tennessee team that usually enjoys an advantage on the glass.

“We certainly know what it takes to get here,” Barnes said. “Now we’ve got to figure out getting through to the next level, and it’s on this day, you’ve got to really be at your best.”

Michigan grabbed control with a 21-0 run in the first half, going from a 16-14 deficit with 11:22 left to a 35-16 lead with 6:10 remaining.

“That's when our defense started clicking,” Lendeborg said. “We started running out on the break and started doing what we do best, and once that happened, man, I think the game was pretty much called right there.”

Once again, Lendeborg was the conductor of an offensive show for the Wolverines. The 6-foot-9 forward switched hands on a slick reverse layup, then made a no-look pass to Roddy Gayle Jr. for a 3-pointer on a fast break. Then he set up a 3 by Cadeau with 7:52 to go.

After Tennessee made a push to get back in the game, Lendeborg scored on a fast break and found McKenney for a 3 at the end of a 7-0 run that made it 48-26 at halftime.

“We didn’t do a great job cutting off transition,” Okpara said. “I think it was also the point of emphasis going into the game, just kind of taking on the transition game. But we didn’t do a great job with that, so they took advantage of that and they converted.”

It was more of the same in the second half. Mara, a 7-foot-3 center, stepped outside for one of the Wolverines’ 10 3-pointers. The Michigan portion of the United Center crowd cheered wildly when seldom-used reserves Charlie May — the coach's son — and Oscar Goodman entered for the final few minutes.

Goodman scored with 2:32 left and May made a 3 with 1:02 remaining for Michigan’s final basket.

“Just playing together and understanding that we all need each other to be successful,” said Burnett, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. “So making that extra pass, that unselfish play that leads from a good shot to a great shot, I feel like we had a lot of that, especially in the first half that built that lead.

“We like where we are right now at the end of the game.”

Lendeborg, who was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player, was 10 for 19 from the field. He became the first Michigan player to score at least 23 points in three consecutive NCAA Tournament games since Juwan Howard did it in four straight in 1994.

“We all trust each other,” Lendeborg said. “We play hard for each other. We make extra plays for each other. We’re going to do whatever we want for each other. So just being able to make it this far and continuing to want to get more, it means a lot.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg celebrates after defeating Tennessee in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Tennessee's Felix Okpara heads to the bench during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Michigan, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Tennessee's Jaylen Carey (23) and Michigan's Elliot Cadeau (3) reach for the ball as Tennessee's Nate Ament (10) watches during the first half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Michigan's Roddy Gayle Jr. (11), Yaxel Lendeborg (23) and Elliot Cadeau (3) celebrate during the first half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Tennessee, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (23) celebrates during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Tennessee, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox and Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians have accomplished something in the last week that had been done only twice before.

The two rookies homered in each of their first three major league games. According to Sportradar, the only other players to hit home runs in at least their first three Major League Baseball games were Trevor Story with the Colorado Rockies in 2016 and Kyle Lewis with the Seattle Mariners in 2019.

Murakami said after the White Sox's 9-7 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday that he's “truly grateful and happy” to achieve that type of milestone but added he still has plenty to work on as he begin his career.

“There's still a long way to go and lots of ways to improve, so that's what I'll keep on doing in the upcoming days,” Murakami said through interpreter Kenzo Yagi.

Story owns the MLB record with homers in his first four career games. DeLauter will try to match that when the Guardians play at Seattle later Sunday.

Murakami, 26, added his name to the club Sunday by sending a 3-2 pitch from Milwaukee's Brandon Sproat over the wall in right-center and into the White Sox bullpen in the second inning. The Japanese slugger homered off Jake Woodford in the ninth inning of his debut Thursday and went deep against Chad Patrick in the fourth inning Saturday.

“The park doesn’t seem big enough to hold him, you know what I mean?" Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He’s impressive.”

The White Sox could use some good news. They've lost over 100 games each of the last three seasons and they were outscored a combined 20-3 in their first two games this year before blowing a 7-2 lead on Sunday.

But the emergence of Murakami at least gives them some reason for hope.

“It all translates from his work, his preparation and things like that,” White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery said. “It's one thing that I respect a lot. He comes in day in and day out and he's doing stuff. He never skips anything. He's always working on his craft. He's a hard worker. To me, I think it just makes sense why he's going out there and he's performing really well.”

Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million contract with the White Sox in December after hitting 246 homers over eight seasons with the Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Central League — including a 56-homer season in 2022.

He also struck out 977 times out of 3,780 plate appearances in Japan, leading to some questions about his chances of success in the majors. Murakami has four strikeouts already — including three on Sunday — but he also has walked four times and owns a .538 on-base percentage.

White Sox pitcher Anthony Kay, who played in Japan the last two years, had no doubt that Murakami's power would translate.

“I watched him two years in Japan," Kay said. “I'm not surprised by it. I know some people are, but I've seen it, so I'm not surprised.”

DeLauter, 24, has four homers in his first three games.

The outfielder went deep twice in his MLB debut on Thursday and became the fifth player in the Guardians' 126-year history to homer in his first career regular-season at bat. He added a solo shot off Seattle's George Kirby on Friday. DeLauter struck out three times Saturday but hit a two-run blast off Andrés Muñoz in the 10th inning of a 6-5 victory.

“That shows the maturity right there,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Saturday. “He had a tough night up until that point, and obviously facing one of the best closers in the league — if not the best closer in the league — and to hit a ball oppo in Seattle at night when it's cold, that takes some kind of power.”

Cleveland had drafted DeLauter out of James Madison with the 16th pick in 2022. He made the Guardians' season-opening roster after hitting .459 with a .535 on-base percentage and three homers in 14 spring training games.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick misses a home run hit by Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami (5) during the second inning of a baseball game, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Sproat throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami scores on a home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Chicago White Sox's Chase Meidroth, left, and manager Will Venable, right, congratulate Munetaka Murakami (5) after Murakami hit a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Chicago White Sox's Munetaka Murakami runs the bases after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)