Michigan
34-3,19-1Big Ten
Alabama
25-10,13-5SEC
U-M Defeats No. 18 Alabama to Set Program Win Record, Advance to Elite Eight
3/27/2026 11:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The third-ranked and top-seeded University of Michigan men's basketball team overcame a halftime deficit to defeat No. 18-ranked and fourth-seeded Alabama 90-77 on Friday night (March 27) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at the United Center. Michigan scored to open the second half, eventually taking a double-digit lead by the second media timeout and winning its third consecutive game by double figures.
The win also set a new program record with its 34th win of the season.
Leaders and Best
Yaxel Lendeborg led the Wolverines in scoring for the second consecutive game, recording his seventh double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 assists. Elliot Cadeau scored 17 points, and had five rebounds and seven assists. Coming off the bench, Trey McKenney added 17 points and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 16 points.
Turning Point
A fast-break dunk from Nimari Burnett at the 17:04 mark of the second half sparked an 8-0 Michigan run ended by an Alabama triple with 15:21 to play. Shortly after, Gayle hit a three-pointer off a pass from Cadeau to go up eight points, 65-57, and started another 8-0 U-M run to build the game's first double-digit lead, 67-57, at the 13:23 mark. The lead held that way for nearly the remainder of the game, dipping into single digits for just 23 seconds.
Second Half
Lendeborg started the half with his third three-pointer of the night and a floater on the opening two possessions. Nimari Burnett took flight off the fast break on the following possession and threw it down for his first score of the game, which forced an Alabama (25-10) timeout with 17:04 to play. His basket sparked a two-minute 8-0 U-M run, capped by another Lendeborg three, which gave him 10 points over the first five minutes. A Gayle triple and McKenney layup built the first double-digit lead of the game, 67-57.
Both teams went without a field goal for three minutes, but Cadeau ended the Michigan drought with a toss to Aday Mara above the rim for a fast-break slam. McKenney made a pair of free throws on the following possession for a 15-point lead, 75-60, at the 9:22 mark.
The Crimson Tide made two baskets over their next 11 attempts during a three-minute scoreless streak. However, during that stretch, U-M mustered just six points. Alabama ended its drought with a three-pointer, and Cadeau responded with one of his own and kept the lead at 84-70 with 4:09 to play. Michigan (34-3) converted two dunks over the last four minutes, one of which was a highlight pass from Cadeau to Gayle for the final U-M bucket.
First Half
Michigan missed its first two shots to open the game, and Alabama took advantage with a quick 3-0 lead, which later grew to an 11-4 advantage through four minutes. Lendeborg then scored five straight points on a three-pointer and a pair of free throws on the following possession, with a jumper from Mara to end a 90-second, 9-0 Michigan run to tie the game at 11 with 14:20 to play.
The next six U-M points came from McKenney off two shots from behind the arc. Michigan came up empty on consecutive possessions, but a dunk by Morez Johnson Jr. and another three-point make by Lendeborg tied the game at 22 with just under 10 minutes to go in the half. Between the 8:32 and 5:02 marks, neither team could string together consecutive baskets, and the U-M deficit sat at five points, 38-33.
Out of the timeout, the Maize and Blue made five consecutive field goals, including three from deep between McKenney and Gayle. McKenney made one from the free-throw line with under two minutes to play and capped a 7-0 U-M run over just 48 seconds for a 47-42 lead. Alabama scored eight unanswered points and retook the lead to close the half for a 49-47 halftime score.
What's Next
The Wolverines advance to the Elite Eight and will take on the winner of the No. 6 Iowa State and No. 23 Tennessee on Sunday afternoon (March 29) at the United Center. The game will tip off at 1:15 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast live on CBS.
Notes
• With its 13-point victory, the 2026 Wolverines boast the program's largest combined margin of victory (57 points) in the opening three games of the NCAA Tournament after winning both games in Buffalo by a total of 44 points (Howard +21, Saint Louis +23) before tonight. The next closest U-M tournament team was the 1964-65 team, which won its first three games by a combined 46 points.
• The 2026 tournament team is also the first since the 1989 national championship team to score 90 points or more in its first three tournament games.
• Cadeau and Mara lead the Wolverines in double-figure scoring games since the start of postseason play; each has five over the first six games.
• In addition to its record-setting win total, the 2025-26 Michigan squad is also the first team in program history to defeat 10 or more AP Top 25 opponents in a season.
• The Wolverines have faced a halftime deficit in seven games this season and have come back to win in six, and it is the first since their win at Northwestern (Feb. 11) where they fell behind by nine points after 20 minutes.
• Michigan and Alabama's combined 27 three-pointers are tied for the third most in an NCAA Tournament regional game. The record is 31, set last season in a game that also featured Alabama.
• With two blocks against Alabama, Mara passed Roy Tarpley's 97-block 1985-86 season for the most blocks by a Wolverine in program history. Mara sits at 98 blocks.
• This will be Michigan's fifth Elite Eight appearance in the last 15 NCAA Tournaments. Michigan has now reached the Elite Eight 16 times in program history and owns an 8-7 record in those games.
