INDIANAPOLIS — It must’ve been exactly as they dreamed, the players and the fans. This is the single moment that’s been slowly formulating for the past year.
The clouds of confetti and raucous cheers within Lucas Oil Stadium spoke words if you cared to listen closely: The Wolverines are the national champions.
The No. 1 seed Michigan men’s basketball team (36-3) eliminated No. 2 seed UConn (34-5) by a final score of 69-63, crowning itself as the 2025-26 national champions.
The Wolverines didn’t put out a strong first-half product— the Huskies established a slow tempo, and Michigan couldn’t find any kind of stroke from deep.
But when things aren't going Michigan’s way, it always has its old-faithful: bully ball and free throws.
Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. and junior guard Elliot Cadeau combined for the first 15 points, all of which came either in the paint or at the free-throw line. Cleaning up the offensive glass and attacking mismatches, the duo held the rest of the Wolverines on their backs in the early going.
UConn, on the other hand, did much of its work from the mid-range or 3-point land. The Huskies made 10 shots in the first half, and five of them were triples.
Michigan got some open looks of its own, but it ultimately shot an unsightly 0-for-8 from deep in the first period. It made up for the extra points with repeated trips to the free-throw line however, shooting 11-for-12 from the stripe.
For all the things that didn’t really go the Wolverines’ way, they still found themselves up at halftime. They played solid enough defense and made just enough shots to take a slim 33-29 lead into the break.
There were only 20 minutes left in their season, and the Wolverines decided to play it on their own terms. No more slow, grinded UConn basketball, Michigan wanted to run.
Off of the first miss, junior center Aday Mara collected the board and chucked the ball all the way down the court to a streaking graduate guard Nimari Burnett who was fouled on the layup attempt.
Consider the tone set.
On two more early-shot clock looks, Cadeau and graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg completed a pair of and-1s to help open Michigan’s lead to 44-31 with 15:16 left in the season.
Two minutes later, Cadeau floated in a layup, and, to the crowd’s elation, the Wolverines’ first 3-pointer of the game. The Wolverines were slowly pulling away, holding a 48-37 lead.
The Huskies were struggling to cope with Michigan’s newfound speed. Instead of running their sets like they usually do, they forced tough shots early, playing right into the Wolverines’ hand.
One thing about UConn teams, though, is that they always have fight. And especially in the National Championship Game, it was never going to be just one single run that took the Huskies out.
An 8-2 run brought them right back into the fold, and with seven minutes to play, Michigan’s lead was back down to seven points at 52-45.
Every time the Wolverines threatened to pull away, the Huskies did just enough to stay attached. But simply staying attached wasn’t going to win UConn a championship, and as the clock ticked under four minutes, Michigan led 60-51.
Freshman guard Trey McKenney caught the ball on the right wing. Pump fake, one-dribble, step-back three. Cash. 65-56 with 1:49 to play in the season.
The crowd could feel it. One minute left.
The Huskies didn’t have another miracle up their sleeve, try as they might. The clock expired, the confetti fell, and players and fans alike rejoiced.
The Michigan Wolverines are the victors.
