Final Four March Madness NCAA: This is Aday Mara's Michigan
Review of one of the teams that could win the NCAA title in 2026 with a Spanish player as the main character
The Michigan Wolverines basketball face the NCAA 2026 March Madness Final Four with a historical question on the table: can this team be the best in program history?
The team led by Dusty May has had an impressive journey in the tournament. As the number 1 seed in the Midwest, Michigan has convincingly beaten Howard (101-80), Saint Louis (95-72), Alabama (90-77), and Tennessee (95-62), showing increasing dominance in each round.
A team aiming to make history
The debate about where this team stands in Michigan's history is significant. The primary reference remains the 1989 championship team led by Glen Rice, which secured the program's only national title.
Other legendary teams also come to mind: the 1965 team with Cazzie Russell as the standout, the 1976 team led by Rickey Green, and the iconic Fab Five of 1992 and 1993 featuring names like Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose.
More recently, Trey Burke led the team to the national final in 2013 as the college player of the year.
However, the 2026 group has its own arguments to enter that conversation.
NBA talent and tournament dominance
The standout of this team is Yaxel Lendeborg, who scored 27 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the emphatic victory over Tennessee in the Elite Eight. He is not alone: the roster boasts several players with NBA potential like the Spanish Aday Mara, further strengthening Michigan's title aspirations.
Beyond talent, what has stood out in the tournament is the team's ability to control games from start to finish, as demonstrated in the recent round with a crushing triumph.
Dusty May, an immediate impact
Dusty May's work adds even more value to the season. Unlike other historical teams of the program built over several years, this group has been formed almost from scratch in less than a season. Four of the starters were playing for other universities just a year ago.
The coach has already experienced reaching the Final Four —he did it in 2023 with Florida Atlantic— but what has been achieved this season further elevates his stature. In record time, he has turned Michigan into one of the top teams in the country.
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