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Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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CONQUERED MICHIGAN 69 | UCONN 63

HAIL TO THE CONQUERING HEROES HAIL TO THE CONQUERING HEROES HAIL TO THE CONQUERING HEROES HAIL TO THE CONQUERING HEROES

MICHIGAN WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, KNOCKS OFF CONNECTICUT Wolverines conclude winningest season with second title, first since 1989

ZACH GOLDSTEIN Daily Sports Editor

NDIANAPOLIS — Nobody could’ve seen it coming just two years ago. The Michigan men’s basketball team was in despair. An 8-24 record marked the worst season in program history. The Wolverines were without a coach and the roster was in pieces about to lose the majority of its roster. The memories of 2018, of 2013, of 1993 and 1992 had haunted the Wolverines. School legends had come and gone. 1989 — the only national championship — was 37 years prior. A program that had been so close so many times kept on falling short. The 2023-24 season, about as far from coming close as could be, stung even more. But Dusty May picked Michigan up even quicker than it fell. The coach that made the Final Four with Florida Atlantic in the Wolverines’ ill-fated season had a clear vision. Built on the back of hard work, roster

construction and innovative coaching, there was light at the end of the tunnel. May had almost been there before with the Owls; now, in his second year with the Wolverines, he did it. After 37 years, the drought is over. In just 24 months, he brought the Wolverines from rock bottom back to the summit. On Monday, after a slow first half in which No. 2 seed Connecticut (34-6) played the game at its speed, No. 1 seed Michigan (37-3) pushed the pace in the second to take a considerable lead. The Wolverines never lost that lead, winning their second national championship in program history, 69-63. “It’s a surreal moment, it doesn’t feel real,” May said. “It still doesn’t feel real because you watch this as a kid, I (went) to bed early … staying up for One Shining Moment. It’s been a tough task for me over the years to see that and think back of all the years that you just want to be a part of something greater than yourselves, more than yourself.

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And for this to come to fruition, it just doesn’t seem real.” The Huskies made sure the game was slow from the jump. Running possessions deep into the clock — as they typically do — led to good looks around the court. Though many of

its sets stagnant and graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg playing hampered by injury, the typical fluidity of Michigan’s offense was halted; it missed all eight of its threes in the first half and the fast break was a complete non-factor.

“Built on the back of hard work, roster construction and innovative coaching, there was light at the end of the tunnel.” them didn’t drop as Michigan’s interior defense swarmed, UConn had its foot on the gas as its game plan thrived. Unable to flourish in the slog of a slow-paced, half-court game, the Wolverines struggled to generate offense early. With

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But the Wolverines stayed in it through their work down in the paint — like they have all season. Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. feasted down low, having his way against a defense that struggled with his

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tenacity. Meanwhile, Michigan earned numerous trips to the charity stripe as its physicality scrambled UConn. With the Huskies leading 25-23, forward Alex Karaban was charged with a hook-and-hold, and Johnson got two more at the line. The Wolverines continued to do damage around the rim as two interior baskets on the following possessions forced a UConn timeout. Despite struggling to push the pace, Michigan went into the break up four points anyway. Coming out of half, though, the Wolverines finally played the game their way. “Dusty at halftime was like, ‘Remember when we put that score sheet up at the end of the (Wisconsin game from last season)?’” graduate forward Will Tschetter said. “ ‘Nothing matters stats wise.’ He’s like, ‘All that matters is that we’re cutting down nets in 20 minutes.’ ” It was night and day compared to the first half. Michigan forced more turnovers in seven secondhalf minutes than in the entirety of the first, which let junior

guard Elliot Cadeau kickstart the Wolverines’ transition offense The trivial lead at the break turned to double digits as Cadeau nailed Michigan’s first three of the game, after a fake pass freed him up. Just as it seemed like UConn was about to thrust back into the game with less than eight minutes to go, junior center Aday Mara slammed home a lob in transition. A few minutes later, with the game inching to a close, the Huskies went on a mini-run to close it to five. But freshman guard Trey McKenney, who’d struggled all night, hit a wide open 3-pointer with less than two minutes remaining after a convoluted loose-ball sequence. The Huskies never got back within four. As the final buzzer sounded and the Wolverines rushed the court, the dream became reality. Thirty-seven years later, Michigan is back atop the mountain.

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