Michigan
Alabama
Wolverines-Alabama to Clash in Chicago in Sweet 16, Elite Eight Berth on Line
3/23/2026 2:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Riding the momentum of a strong NCAA Tournament opening weekend, Big Ten regular-season champion, Midwest Region No. 1 seed and third-ranked University of Michgian men's basketball team (33-3, 19-1 Big Ten) will head to the Sweet 16 to face No. 18 Alabama (25-9, 13-5 SEC), the region's No. 4 seed, on Friday (March 27) at the United Center in Chicago. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CT on TBS, with Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and Evan Washburn on the broadcast.
A win would send the Wolverines to the Elite Eight, where they would face the winner of No. 2 seed Iowa State (29-7, 12-6 Big 12) and No. 6 seed Tennessee (24-11, 11-7 SEC) on Sunday (March 29).
Notes
• Michigan poured in 196 total points during the opening weekend in Buffalo, cruising past No. 16 seed Howard (101-80) and No. 9 seed Saint Louis (95-72) to reach the Sweet 16.
• The Wolverines have now advanced to the Sweet 16 in each of their last seven NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching four Elite Eights in the last eight trips.
• Since 2013, Michigan has made nine Sweet 16 appearances in 10 NCAA Tournament trips -- tied with Duke and Gonzaga for the most in the nation over that span.
• Head coach Dusty May continues his postseason success, reaching the Sweet 16 for the third time in the last four seasons, including consecutive appearances with Michigan (2025, 2026) after guiding Florida Atlantic to a Final Four run in 2023.
• In the opener against Howard, U-M shot a program NCAA Tournament record 67.2 percent, including 65.4 percent in the first half and 69.0 percent in the second. Morez Johnson Jr. led the way with 21 points on 8-for-8 shooting and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double.
• Against Saint Louis, Michigan broke open a tight game with a second-half surge. After the Billikens trimmed the deficit to seven, U-M clamped down defensively -- allowing just two field goals over an eight-minute stretch -- while building a commanding 24-point lead. Yaxel Lendeborg paced the Wolverines with a game-high 25 points, while Aday Mara contributed 16 points, five rebounds and four blocks.
• The win over Saint Louis pushed Michigan to 33-3, tying the program record for victories in a season. One more win would set a new mark.
• Elliot Cadeau enters the Sweet 16 just 20 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career.
• Cadeau totaled 18 assists during the opening weekend, pushing his season total to 206 and making him the sixth Wolverine to reach 200 assists in a season (seventh overall), and the first since Zavier Simpson in 2019-20 (236).
• Mara is closing in on history as well, sitting at 96 blocks on the season -- just four shy of becoming the first Wolverine to record 100 in a single season. Roy Tarpley holds the current program record with 97 (1985-86).
