NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
The Michigan Wolverines are finally national champions once again in men’s basketball, defeating the UConn Huskies, 69-63, to end a thrilling NCAA tournament in style at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.
This is the first time Michigan has won since 1989, and just the second time in program history they have become champions.
Meanwhile, the Huskies were looking to win their third title in the last four tournaments, but ultimately missed the mark.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Elliot Cadeau celebrates during the first half of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship against UConn at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
While both teams’ offenses came into this game running like a machine, it was a low-scoring affair to start this game. Michigan only had a 33-29 lead in the first half when the buzzer sounded, but it wasn’t Yaxel Lendeborg leading the way in the scoring department for the Wolverines.
The Michigan star, who is playing with a sprained left collateral ligament and left ankle that occurred during the win over Arizona in the Final Four, was just 1-of-5 shooting for four points in the first half. It was Morez Johnson Jr. (10 points) and Elliot Cadeau (seven points) who found some rhythm for the Wolverines.
UCONN’S DAN HURLEY HEARS BOOS AFTER FINAL FOUR WIN OVER ILLINOIS
But it didn’t help that Michigan didn’t score from beyond the arc and shot just 37% from the field. Meanwhile, UConn wasn’t doing itself any favors either.
The Huskies shot just 33% in the first half, with Alex Karaban making two of his five three-point attempts. Only Ball, who was seen in a walking boot entering the game with “some type of foot sprain,” according to head coach Dan Hurley, scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field.
While they were down, UConn was certainly playing the type of game they wanted against Michigan: a tough battle, especially on the glass. Michigan has shown a knack for picking up momentum and running with it offensively, dominating opponents all year long, including this NCAA Tournament.
Yaxel Lendeborg of the Michigan Wolverines dribbles during the first half against the UConn Huskies in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
However, the Huskies know that their 40-minute scratching and clawing abilities allow them to never let an opponent get comfortable. Ask the Duke Blue Devils what happened in the Final Four.
The Huskies had the same behavior in the second half, although it didn’t help because they took a page from the Wolverines’ playbook in the first half: They couldn’t find the shot from distance. UConn was desperate to hit a three-pointer, but despite open looks, they couldn’t get one to fall as Michigan’s lead eventually reached 11 points after Cadeau finally broke his team’s seal on the opposite end, burying a three-pointer to get to a double-digit lead.
But Hurley was pumping up the crowd as the Huskies never gave up, cutting the lead to five with less than nine minutes left in the game. Lendeborg, however, after shaking his head on the bench because he wasn’t playing the game he expected in the national championship, stepped up when he came back in.
Lendeborg saw a sweet pass from Cadeau in transition and regained the lead to 11 with a difficult layup, making it 56-45 with less than six minutes left. He would also come in trouble with another two points after a three-pointer by Braylon Mullins.
Once again, the Huskies would not give up, as Mullins finally found his shot from beyond the arc, cutting Michigan’s lead to single digits with a follow-up three-pointer again off Lendeborg’s layups. But no matter how brave the Huskies played, the Wolverines always seemed to have the answer in this close contest.
Head coach Dan Hurley of the UConn Huskies reacts during the first half of the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
A key example of that was, after Karaban hit a 3-pointer to cut Michigan’s lead to six, Trey McKenney stepped back and hit a 26-footer with 1:49 left in the game to get the lead back to nine points. The Wolverines faithful in the crowd were furious, knowing how much that basket meant considering what UConn has been able to do in this tournament.
With 37 seconds left in the game, Ball got help off the backboard and hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 67-63 for the Wolverines. Roddy Gayle Jr. made things more interesting in this game as he failed to knock down both of his free throw attempts for Michigan. But Karaban didn’t have another key 3-pointer in him, and came up short with 13 seconds left.
That was all UConn’s desperate attempt and Michigan celebrated its victory.
In the box score, Cadeau led all scorers with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Lendeborg scored only 4 of 13, although he still had 13 points. Johnson also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines.
Cadeau was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Michigan was just 2 of 15 from the three-point line, and head coach Dusty May even took notice after the game was dominated on the glass, as UConn outrebounded them, 46-39.
The Huskies, however, couldn’t find it offensively. Karaban finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but was just 4 of 14 and 3 of 10 from three-point territory. Tarris Reed Jr. also had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Mullins, the hero against Duke with his half-court shot, was just 4 of 17 for 11 points.
