Michigan fends off UConn to win first national championship since 1989

AlabamaArizonaArkansasDukeFloridaGonzagaHoustonIllinoisIowa StateKansasLouisvilleMiami (FL)Michigan StateMichiganNebraskaNorth CarolinaPurdueSaint Mary'sSt. John'sTennesseeTexas TechUConnVanderbiltVirginiaWisconsinStandingsBeat Our Expert's BracketTournament ProjectionsMen's March Elliot Cadeau and Michigan led the entire second half to win the program's first title in 37 years. Michael Reaves / Getty Images Share full article65INDIANAPOLIS — Dominant. Scary. A machine. “The Monstars.” Michigan men’s basketball earned its share of flattery during a commanding tear through the NCAA Tournament, but there was one last moniker to add Monday night. No. 1 Michigan defeated No. 2 UConn 69-63 to win the 2025-26 title — and stymie the Huskies’ dynasty in the process. It’s the second national championship for Michigan, snapping the Big Ten’s 26-year title drought and preventing a third UConn title in four seasons. The Wolverines and second-year coach Dusty May delivered the winningest season in program history (37-3), punctuated by one of the most emphatic NCAA Tournament runs in recent decades. It wasn’t the same offensive masterclass from a Michigan squad that became the first team to score 90-plus points in five straight tournament games. The Wolverines shot just 2-for-15 from 3-point range, but the size, depth and physicality that carried them to the Final Four was too much for UConn to handle. Michigan limited the Huskies to 31 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc, while outscoring them by 14 points in the paint and going 25-for-28 on free throws. “If you had told me we would shoot it this poorly and dominate on the glass and still find a way to win, I wouldn’t have believed you,” May said in an on-court interview postgame. “But this team’s just found a way all season.” UConn did manage to cut the lead to 4 on a banked-in 3-pointer by Solo Ball with under 40 seconds remaining, adding some late intrigue. But a late Alex Karaban 3-pointer fell short and the Wolverines iced it at the foul line. Point guard Elliot Cadeau led the way for Michigan with 19 points, winning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. The frontcourt of Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg (playing on an injured left leg) combined for 33 points and 16 rebounds. This year’s Michigan team was the highest-rated according to KenPom analytics since Duke in 1998-99, a team that lost to UConn in the national championship. The Wolverines entered the title game as a considerable 6.5-point favorite just two days after dominating fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in the Final Four. It’s the program’s first title since 1989 and first in its last five championship game appearances. Michigan is the first Big Ten school to win the title in men’s basketball since Michigan State in 2000. The title completes a rapid two-year turnaround for May, who arrived at Michigan in 2024 after taking Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023. The Wolverines went 8-24 in the year before May’s arrival, but are 64-13 over the last two seasons. Michigan did it with a starting lineup of five transfers: Cadeau (UNC), Nimari Burnett (Alabama), Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Aday Mara (UCLA). And it did it by dominating high-caliber opponents, from beating Gonzaga by 40 points in November to the March and April tournament run, where it defeated its first five opponents by an average of 21.6 points until UConn kept it closer Monday. The Huskies fell short of becoming only the third men’s program to win three national championships in four seasons, and would have been the first to do so since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Dan Hurley, already one of 17 men’s head coaches with multiple titles, would have been only the seventh with at least three; his 20-6 NCAA Tournament record (77 percent) remains second to only John Wooden, and Hurley fell to 11-1 when reaching the Sweet 16. At 34-6, this was Hurley’s third season of 30-plus wins in eight years with the Huskies, with all three teams reaching the championship game. This was the first loss in seven championship appearances for UConn, which has won six titles since 1999. The loss also marked the end of the career of Huskies senior forward Alex Karaban, who had a team-high 17 points to go with 11 rebounds. A four-year starter, Karaban played in three championships and finished as the winningest player in UConn men’s basketball history. Fellow senior Tarris Reed Jr. added a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Wolverines held a 33-29 lead at the half despite shooting 0-for-8 from 3-point range. Going 11-for-12 from the foul line helped make up for it, drawing 11 fouls to disrupt the Huskies’ first-half rotation. Michigan had far more success using their size in the post, outscoring UConn 22 to 8 in the paint while shooting 8 for 11 at the rim in the opening 20 minutes. Cadeau came out in attack mode to begin the second half, scoring 8 of Michigan’s first 15 points to build an 11-point lead with 13 minutes remaining. Both of these teams are set to reload well for next season, and will likely be preseason top-10 squads — with two of the best head coaches in the sport. UConn and Hurley will attempt to win a third in five years, while Michigan and May will attempt to replicate the Huskies’ recent success and go back-to-back. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Justin Williams covers college football and basketball for The Athletic. He was previously a beat reporter covering the Cincinnati Bearcats, and prior to that he worked as a senior editor for Cincinnati Magazine. Follow Justin on Twitter/X @williams_justin Follow Justin on Twitter @williams_justin