On April 6, the Michigan Wolverines defeated the UCONN Huskies 69-63 to win the men’s NCAA basketball championship.
The one-seeded Wolverines reached this point after they defeated Howard, St. Louis, Alabama, Tennessee and Arizona with large margins. Conversely, the second-seeded Huskies booked their ticket to a national championship after they beat Furman, UCLA, Michigan State, top-ranked Duke, and Illinois.
The Wolverines were fueled by a relentless offensive attack that featured a heavy emphasis on drives to the basket and drawn fouls. Michigan shot an impressive 25 out of 28 on the free throw line, an important stat that proved to be the difference-making between the Huskies.
While the Michigan squad missed their first ten three point shots, junior star Eliot Cudeau helped end the streak of misfortune when he made their first triple midway through the second half. This shot helped spark a run where the Wolverines took an eleven point lead, the largest of the game.
Cudeau, who dropped a pivotal 19 points and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, played best when pressure was the highest. He was aided by senior forward Yaxel Lendenborg, who had thirteen points, despite the fact that he played through a knee injury. Sophomore Morez Johnson, Jr. also contributed, as he scored 12 points, and had 10 rebounds himself.
UConn didn’t go down without a fight, however, as they cut the Wolverine lead down to four within the final minute. Yet, the Huskies continuously found themselves in foul trouble, which eventually cost them an attempt of a comeback. Alex Karaban, who had shined throughout the tournament, led the Huskies with 17 points.
The championship became Michigan’s first since 1989, and the Big Ten’s first since Michigan State in 2000 to win the national title. Additionally, all five of Michigan’s starters were players who had played at another school and transferred to Ann Arbor. This was the first time in the transfer portal era that a team had won a championship with their roster constructed in such methods.
The Huskies finished their season with their first Final Four loss since 2009, even though this was their third final four appearance in four years.
