Even in their best season in the last 8 years, one of Ann Arbor’s own feels that everything is not perfect with the Michigan Wolverines. Dusty May’s team is through to the March Madness for the first time since 2018, where they will face the Arizona Wildcats. Yet, despite this historic season, some flaws could severely limit their ceiling against Arizona.

Chris Webber, who played at the University of Michigan between 1991 and 1993, warned that foul trouble, especially early in the game, can doom the Wolverines. An early glimpse of what May’s team saw in the Tennessee game, when Aday Mara picked up two quick fouls in the first minutes of the game, leading to his playing time being immensely limited.

“These are the games where foul trouble man,” Webber said. “Two fouls early, say in the first 10 minutes, is gonna sit a great player for the rest of the half. And it will affect them during halftime, and get them cold, maybe take about two minutes to come back in the second half. And we’re gonna see how players handle, the refs are going to call it, if they allow it to be physical because you have two physical teams, and then who takes advantage of the momentum early.

“I’m worried about the fact that Arizona gives a lot of body blows, and body blows may not show up until the end of the fight. So, we’ll have to get out in the passing lanes and get some easy ones early,” Webber added further.

From a broader perspective, the Wolverines haven’t had many struggles with fouls this season. May’s team has given away 15.4 fouls in the game, ranking 36th in the nation. It’s quite a decent number for a team that emphasizes its offensive pressure. But their outing in the Elite Eight game against Tennessee, where this newfound nemesis really turned into an Achilles’ heel to a certain extent.

Mara’s limited game time and early foul struggles in the opening few minutes of the game are just a part of their bigger problems. All in all, the Wolverines gave away 18 fouls in the game, much higher than their average number. Subsequently, the Wolverines sent the Volunteers to the line 17 times.

While this didn’t cost May’s team much, similar foul troubles with a player or from the overall time will be nothing short of a calamity. Given the Arizona Wildcats’ strong offense, it’s quite certain they will come in hot against Michigan’s defense. As a result, it will be important for the Wolverines to keep their discipline and poise in what Webber said can be an immensely physical game.

Besides the foul struggles, Dusty May’s team will also look to address the consistent turnovers they gave away in the Elite Eight game. The Wolverines conceded 21 points off of the 11 turnovers they committed. And a similar instance against the Wildcats’ fast, relentless offense will be disastrous for their March Madness ceiling.

Dusty May Expects Nothing Short of a Tightrope Battle Against Arizona in the Final Four

Across the 2025-26 season, Michigan and Arizona have been teams of the very same profiles. Both teams carry their offense really well, with players like Yaxel Landeborg and Brayden Burries leading their teams to the opposition court with ease. While these specializations overlap on the court, Dusty May feels that Arizona is a complete reflection of his team, which can lead to an immensely back-and-forth game.

“I just see so many similarities with the intangibles and the team character of both of us,” May said. “And then obviously, when you factor in the size, both teams get a lot of credit for how good our front lines are. But there are some great guards and very intelligent basketball played by both teams.”

“So, when we watch them, we see ourselves, other than a few stylistic differences. It’s going to be a battle. And we believe it’s going to be won in the 30th or 40th minute in this game.”

Both the Wolverines and the Wildcats fare quite well across almost all the given metrics. The Wolverines slightly edge out Arizona on offense, but the Wildcats can strike with a slight edge on defense. Thus, there’s no possible weak point on paper for both these teams that the opponent can capitalize on in this mega star-studded clash on Saturday.

Thus, it will eventually come down to how the players suit up on that given day and can handle tight situations on the court with patience, and don’t send the opponent to the free-throw line too many times or worse roll over the ball. Even the officials will have a job in their hands, as Chris Webber said, to make the right calls if things fall in that gray bracket of the rule book.