The first Big Ten team win in 26 years, the Wolverines beat the Huskies to win the school’s second national championship in men’s college basketball.

Michigan won its first NCAA title in 1989, making this win the Wolverines’ first in 37 years.

Scoring 19 points, junior guard Elliot Cadeau helped lead Michigan to victory yesterday. Senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg added 13 more points to the game, and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. scored 12.

The Wolverines made two 3-pointers, widening their lead during the second half; the first of which was made by Cadeau around 7 minutes after halftime. Freshman guard Trey McKenney scored the second with 1:50 left to spare.

During the game, Michigan shot 28 free throws compared to Connecticut’s 16; the Wolverines also took control inside, scoring 36 to the Huskies’ 22.

But the Wolverines’ win was far from ideal. Missing their first 11 shots from 3, the Michigan school attempted a total of 15 three-pointers, making only 2. In addition, an injury left Lendeborg — the Wolverine’s best player — from making more shots. The senior forward finished with 4-for-13 shooting, scoring 13 points in total.

Michigan head coach Dusty May celebrated this win with his team, even while addressing the team’s shortcomings. “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 have believed you,” the coach remarked. “This team just found a way all season.”

Despite these hurdles, it’s clear the Wolverines kept pushing and persevered. “It just feels great being able to do this with the people I love,” Cadeau said, post-win, adding: “Nobody cared about stats the entire season, nobody cared about anything but winning.”

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