INDIANAPOLIS (WXYZ) — For the first time in 37 years, the Michigan men's basketball team has won the National Championship, beating the University of Connecticut Huskies (UConn), 69-63.
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Point guard Elliot Cadeau led the way with 19 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, while Morez Johnson Jr. (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Aday Mara (eight points, four rebounds) did their part on the inside. While he was battling an MCL sprain and an ankle injury, Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg scored 13 points, including some key second-half buckets to seal the win.
Trey McKenney, a freshman guard, Flint native, and former Mr. Basketball — knocked down the dagger three to give Michigan a commanding 65-56 lead. He finished the game with nine points off the bench, the most out of all non-starters.
As they have all season long, the Wolverines dominated in the paint, outscoring the Huskies, 36-22.
Watch fan reaction to the win in Ann Arbor, and Chopper 7 footage from above the city
Both teams struggled to put the ball in the basket all game long. The Wolverines only made 38 percent of their shots, with the Huskies making just 31 percent of their shots.
Michigan struggled on offense for most of that first half. With starting point guard Elliot Cadeau on the bench after picking up his second foul, Michigan went nearly five game minutes (7:38-3:06) without a made field goal. But the Wolverines still went into the half with a 33-29 lead, largely thanks to winning the first half rebounding battle (21-20) and having more points in the paint (22-8). Michigan managed to lead at the half despite only making 37 percent of it's shots and going 0/8 from beyond the arc.
Roddy Gayle Jr., a key bench player for the Wolverines, had arguably the best play of the first half, with a put-back dunk to give Michigan a five-point lead late in the first half.
A historic season for the Wolverines, capped off with a championship
Michigan ends the season with a 37-3 record — a program-high for wins in a single season — and a 19-1 Big Ten record.
This is Michigan's first national championship since 1989, when the Wolverines beat Seton Hall in overtime, 80-79. Michigan had appeared in four National Championship games between that 1989 win and this one; Michigan made it to the title game with the Fab Five in 1992 and 1993 and under head coach John Beilein in 2013 and 2018.
Michigan entered this game winning it's previous five NCAA tournament games by double digits, with the Wolverines being the eighth team to accomplish this feat. Entering this game, Yaxel Lendeborg — coming off winning the Big Ten Player of the Year award — was the first Wolverine to score 20 points in three straight NCAA tournament games since Juwan Howard did it in 1994.
UConn has been one of the most successful college basketball teams this decade, with Dan Hurley leading the Huskies to six straight NCAA tournaments. UConn has amassed an 18-3 record heading into this game, including winning the National Championship in 2023 and 2024.
