INDIANAPOLIS — The road ended here — and Michigan has been crowned the 2026 national champion.
It's the program’s first national championship since 1989, . Elliot Cadeau led the Wolverines with 19 points and helped the Wolverines (37-3) pull away on free throws, as Michigan made 25 of its 28 attempts at the line.
The opening half was a grind. Michigan struggled to find its rhythm early, opening 0-for-8 from 3-point range, while UConn’s interior defense controlled the paint. Despite shooting 5-for-15 from deep, the Huskies made their presence felt at the rim, altering shots and limiting second-chance looks.
With 70,720 fans attending the game inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the crowd leaned heavily in Michigan’s favor, with Wolverines fans bringing constant energy. Still, a small but vocal UConn section made its presence known, trying to swing momentum back whenever the Huskies made a push.
Injuries played a role throughout. Although Solo Ball was dealing with an ankle injury, he provided a spark with three 3-pointers and 11 points for the game. Meanwhile, Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg, who is dealing with an MCL and ankle injury, struggled to find the bottom of the net, finishing 4 or 13.
Michigan finally broke through from deep in the second half, when Cadeau knocked down the team’s first 3-pointer after an 0-for-11 start. That moment helped fuel a surge, pushing the Wolverines to their largest lead of the game at 11 points.
But UConn refused to go away without a fight.
The Huskies cut the deficit to four with under eight minutes to play, but it was quickly erased by a momentum-shifting dunk by Aday Mara that brought their bench to life and tightened the game down the stretch.
While Michigan went on a 6-0 run, UConn suffered a two-minute scoring drought with fewer than 6 minutes to go.
The Huskies did manage to get within four with just 37 seconds remaining after Ball hit a 3-pointer, making the score 67-63. Though Michigan's Roddy Gaye Jr. then missed a pair of free throws, Alex Karaban couldn't hit a 3-point shot that would have cut the deficit to one. Karaban did lead the Huskies (34-6) with 17 points and was one of three UConn players with three 3-pointers. However, the teams combined to shoot just 11 of 48 from deep — including Michigan's 2 of 15.
In the end, Michigan ended both its long wait for a title and also the Big Ten's, giving the conference its first men's basketball title since Michigan State in 2000.
