Led by dynamic point guard Elliot Cadeau, Michigan overcame a rough shooting night and completed a dream season by beating UConn 69-63 for its first national championship in 37 years.
Cadeau was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after scoring 19 points, and Yaxel Lendeborg fought through a knee injury to add 13 for the Wolverines, who became the first Big Ten team to win a national title since Michigan State in 2000.
Michigan (37-3) won despite shooting 21 of 55 from the field (38%) and getting outrebounded 46-39 by the smaller Huskies.
It was the fourth-lowest scoring total of the season for Michigan, which also failed to break 90 points for the first time in six NCAA tournament games this year.
But it didn’t matter, because this Wolverines roster assembled by coach Dusty May was just too good.
“If you told me we would shoot it this poorly and get dominated on the glass and still find a way to win, I don’t know if I would have believed you,” May told Tracy Wolfson. “But this team has just found a way all season. Love, respect and trust among themselves. I want to shout out all the former Michigan players. This one is for them.”
"First of all, I want to thank all the people that poured into everyone in our locker room. We're not here without the love, support and coaching from everybody before us."
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 7, 2026
🗣️ @umichbball's Dusty May with @tracywolfson after clinching a National Championship pic.twitter.com/aLb3zUDziz
The Wolverines’ big edge was at the line, making 25 of 28 free throws. Morez Johnson Jr. chipped in with 12 points for Michigan.
It’s the first national championship for a team whose starting lineup is comprised of five transfer players. The star was Lendeborg, who gutted out a knee injury by playing 36 minutes on a night when he admittedly felt “awful” and “super weak.”
He shot only 4 of 13 from the floor with two rebounds.
“My teammate didn’t give up on me,” Lendeborg said. “I made a little bit of a push at the end of the game, man, but they just continued to push me, and we just found a way to play harder.
"We are the best team in College Basketball and we wanna be one of the greats ever." 🎙️
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 7, 2026
Yaxel Lendeborg on how he wants his team to be remembered. 💯#Marchmadness pic.twitter.com/70ZMKzzmCE
“Hey man, they might still be calling us mercenaries, but we’re the hardest-playing team in college basketball. We’re the best team in college basketball. And we want to be one of the greatest ever.
Since winning its most recent title in 1989, Michigan had lost in four previous shots in the national championship game (1992, 1993, 2013, 2018). The Wolverines are now 2-6 in NCAA men’s basketball title games.
The Big Ten now has the reigning national champions in men’s basketball (Michigan), women’s basketball (UCLA) and football (Indiana).
The Big Ten has won national championships in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the year 2026.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 7, 2026
Three different schools, too!
UConn (34-6) came up short in its bid for a third national championship in four seasons. After leading for much of the first half, poor shooting also plagued the Huskies, who made 21 of 68 shots (31% from the field).
Senior forward Alex Karaban led the Huskies with 17 points and 11 rebounds in his final game, and Tarris Reed Jr. had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Braylon Mullins and Solo Ball each had 11 for UConn.
Head coach Dan Hurley said the first-half foul trouble for Reed, Ball and Silas Demary Jr. left the Huskies in a tough hole.
"Proud of the guys ... this has been one of our best seasons. Unfortunately for us, we just get the watches — not the rings."
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 7, 2026
UConn coach Dan Hurley to @tracywolfson following the loss to Michigan in the National Championship pic.twitter.com/W6TKnDeyEP
“I thought we had a real good chance to go into the first half with the lead, but having Silas, Tarris and Solo Ball with those two fouls just really put us down at the half,” Hurley told Wolfson. “And we just had to make more shots. We had great opportunities from 3, and if we make three or four more, we’ve got a great chance to win it. But how are you disappointed at all in your group? These guys had 22 offensive rebounds vs. that group of Monstars out there. So I’m proud of the guys.
“It’s complicated because everyone’s crushed. We’re not going to walk away as national champions, but we’re going to walk away as one of the best teams that had one of the best seasons and have given the fans at UConn one of our best seasons. Unfortunately for us, we just get the watches and not the rings.”
What a run for the Huskies 💔#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/M0D0EwI3XJ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 7, 2026
