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INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan beat Connecticut 69-63 in a defensive battle to complete a dominant run through the NCAA tournament and capture the program’s second national championship.
The Wolverines previously reached the championship game in 1965, 1976, 1989, 1992-93, 2013 and 2018, winning it all in 1989. Michigan is the first Big Ten team to win the title since Michigan State in 2000.
The narrower victory against the Huskies came after the Wolverines had steamrolled into Monday night, winning all five of their tournament games by an average of 21.6 points.
This is coach Dusty May’s first national title. He previously reached the Final Four with Florida Atlantic in 2023.
Playing two nights after injuring his left knee in the semifinals against Arizona, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg had 13 points on 4 of 13 shooting. Point guard Elliot Cadeau had one of the best games of his career with 19 points and just one turnover. Morez Johnson Jr. posted 12 points and 10 rebounds.
UConn was led Alex Karaban’s 17 points. Guard Braylon Mullins had 11 points on 4 of 17 shooting and guard Solo Ball had 11 points in 16 minutes. Ball was dealing with a foot injury suffered against Illinois.
With its normally explosive offense struggling, Michigan’s defense stepped up to deliver the win.
The Huskies took a 16-15 lead midway through the first half as each team began to adjust to the other’s preferred tempo: more fast-paced for Michigan, more methodical for UConn. At this point, Cadeau and Johnson had combined for all of the Wolverines’ scoring.
The Huskies were already battling foul trouble, as Ball and point guard Silas Demary Jr. both picked up two quick whistles in the first eight minutes. They meant key early playing time for backup Malachi Smith, who finished with 6 points in 20 minutes of action.
Longer offensive possessions with extensive screening and ball movement along with suffocating perimeter defense helped UConn keep the Wolverines largely in check through the end of the first half.
Michigan went into the break ahead 33-29 after making 11 of 12 attempts from the free-throw line. But the Wolverines made just 11 of 30 attempts from the field and missed all eight shots from 3-point range. This was Michigan’s first half of play this season without at least one 3-pointer. UConn hit on just 10 of 30 attempts in the first half but made 5 of 15 from deep.
With its perimeter game missing, Michigan continued to attack the basket and took its biggest lead of the game at 41-33 on a Lendeborg and-one with 15:16 to play. This came amid a run of five UConn turnovers in eight possessions.
With 12:47 remaining, Cadeau made his team’s first 3-pointer to make it 48-37, giving Michigan its first double-digit lead. But the Wolverines were unable to land a knockout blow, at one point missing seven of eight shots, and UConn was able to make it a 50-45 game on a driving Demary layup with 8:24 on the clock.
Michigan answered with a 6-0 run to go in front 56-45 on a Lendeborg 3-pointer with 5:44 to play. That came after a potentially costly UConn possession that saw Karaban miss two free throws and then Demary miss a jumper following a Reed offensive rebound.
The Huskies continued to hang around, with Mullins drilling a 3-pointer after freeing himself with a pump fake to cut Michigan’s lead to 58-51 with 4:13 remaining. After two Cadeau free throws, a Karaban 3-pointer made it 62-56 at the two-minute mark.
In a huge moment on the ensuing possession, Michigan freshman guard Trey McKenney put home a 3-pointer of his own, pushing Michigan’s lead to 65-56 with 1:49 left.
After UConn forced a turnover with 45.7 seconds left, Ball banked in an arcing 3-point attempt to make it a 67-63 game. But Michigan would not be denied.
UConn would have a chance. After guard Roddy Gayle Jr. missed two free throws with 29.9 seconds to play, Karaban freed himself for a long jumper but came up short. Michigan corralled the loose ball with 13 seconds left and Trey McKenney would make two free throws to deliver the title.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan ends Big Ten's basketball title drought with defeat of UConn
