Five straight tournament games above 90 points. Then the title game showed up, and Michigan couldn’t buy a three.

Didn’t matter. The Wolverines beat UConn 69-63 on Monday night in Indianapolis, claiming the program’s second national championship — and first since 1989 — in a game with a 1950s feel.

Michigan shot 2 for 15 from three-point range. Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg, hobbled by a sprained MCL and rolled ankle, managed 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Wolverines were outrebounded 22-12 on the offensive glass. By every metric of the high-flying identity that carried them through March, they were broken.

They won anyway. Elliot Cadeau, named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, scored a game-high 19 points. His three-pointer seven minutes into the second half was Michigan’s first from deep all night. Freshman Trey McKenney hit the second — a near-dagger with 1:50 remaining that pushed the lead to nine. Michigan went 25 for 28 from the line.

UConn, chasing a third title in four seasons, shot 30.9% and missed its first 11 second-half threes. Alex Karaban’s attempt with 17 seconds left, which would have cut the deficit to one, barely grazed the rim.

“If you’d told me we would shoot it this poorly and (be) dominated on the glass and still find a way to win, I don’t know if I would’ve believed you,” Michigan coach Dusty May said.

All five starters arrived via the transfer portal. Lendeborg’s postgame message was direct: “They might be still calling us mercenaries but we’re the hardest-working team.” The prettiest result of Michigan’s season came from its ugliest performance.

Sources