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The Michigan Wolverines became the national champions again in men’s basketball, defeating the UConn Huskies, 69-63, to end an exciting NCAA tournament in style at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.
It’s Michigan’s first win since 1989, and just the second time in program history it’s claimed the title.
Meanwhile, the Huskies were looking to win their third title in the last four tournaments, but their shooting failed in the end.
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Elliot Cadeau celebrates during the first half of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball national championship game against UConn at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on April 6, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Although the offenses of both teams came into this game working like a machine, it was a slow start to the game. Michigan only had a 33-29 lead in the first half, but it wasn’t Yaxel Lendeborg leading the scoring department for the Wolverines.
The Michigan star, playing off a sprained left MCL and left ankle sprained during the Final Four win over Arizona, was 1-for-5 shooting with four points in the first half. It was Morez Johnson Jr. (10 points) and Elliot Cadeau (seven points) paced the Wolverines.
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But it didn’t help that Michigan was missing points from beyond the arc and shooting just 37% from the field. At the time, UConn was doing nothing for itself either.
The Huskies shot just 33% in the first half, with Alex Karaban hitting two of his five field goal attempts. Solo Ball, who was seen wearing a walking shoe entering the game with “some kind of foot numbness,” according to head coach Dan Hurley, had eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field.
While they were down, UConn certainly played the type of game they wanted against Michigan – a tough battle, especially on the glass. Michigan has shown its ability to take momentum and run with it offensively, dominating opponents throughout the year, including this NCAA Tournament.
Yaxel Lendeborg of the Michigan Wolverines drives during the first half against the UConn Huskies in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., April 6, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
However, the Huskies don’t know their scrimmage skills and 40 minutes allows them to never let opponents feel comfortable. Just ask the Duke Blue Devils what happened in the Final Four.
The Huskies had a similar situation in the second half, though it didn’t help that they took a page out of the Wolverines’ first half playbook – they couldn’t get a stroke off the clock. Conn was eager to hit a three-pointer, but despite open looks, they couldn’t get one as Michigan’s lead eventually reached 11 points after Cadeau finally broke his team’s mark at the other end, burying a three-pointer to reach a double-digit lead.
But Hurley was rousing the crowd as the Huskies never let up, going back to within five with less than nine minutes left in the game. However, Lendeborg, after shaking his head on the bench as he did not play the game he expected in the national competition, stood up when he went back.
Lendeborg saw a nice pass from Cadeau in transition and led back to 11 with a tough layup, making it 56-45 with less than six minutes to play. He would also tally two more points behind Braylon Mullins with three points.
Once again, the Huskies weren’t about to let up, as Mullins finally got his shot from beyond the arc, putting Michigan back in the single digits with three pointers and layups by Lendeborg. But, as painful as the Huskies are playing, the Wolverines seem to always have an answer in this much-anticipated contest.
UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts during the first half of the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., April 6, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
A prime example of that was when, after Karaban buried a 3-pointer to cut Michigan’s lead to six, Trey McKenney stepped back and drilled a 26-footer with 1:49 left in the game to get the lead back to nine points. The Wolverines faithful in the crowd went well, knowing what that basket meant considering what UConn was able to do in this contest.
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With 37 seconds left in the game, Ball got help from the backboard, making a three-pointer to cut the lead to 67-63 for the Wolverines. Roddy Gayle Jr. made things very interesting in this game, as he couldn’t knock down his two free throw attempts for Michigan. But Karaban didn’t have another clutch three-pointer for him, coming up just short with 13 seconds left.
That was a desperate effort by UConn, and Michigan celebrated their victory.
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