As confetti fell and the partisan, maize-and-blue crowd sang their theme song, \u201cMr. Brightside,\u201d it became quite obvious that destiny was calling them.<\/p>\n
Chicago-born guard Nimari Burnett, who won an Illinois state title his freshman year at Morgan Park, now has bookends for his trophy case, when he decides to build one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to have to take this moment over winning state,\u201d Burnett told me afterward. \u201cThere were so many emotions. I was sobbing. knew I was going to cry. Even at shootaround today I was getting emotional. But being in the moment with my guys, I feel so blessed, so grateful. Just soaking up the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Michigan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CTC-L-final-four-championship-0406-38.jpg\")
Michigan guard Nimari Burnett (4) and Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) celebrate after defeating UConn, 69-63, in the NCAA title game on April 6, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
A game marred by poor 3-point shooting all around ended with UConn making a belated comeback in the final minutes, only to fall short and miss a chance at a third title in four years. Trailing 67-63, Huskies star Alex Karaban, who was 18-1 in tournament games, had a chance to pull the Huskies to within one.<\/p>\n
But Karaban missed a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left, and Michigan guard Trey McKenny hit a pair of free throws on the other end to seal it, as the Wolverines\u2019 celebration began.<\/p>\n
Guard Elliott Cadeau led Michigan with 19 points and was named Most Outstanding Player, while former Thornton grad Morez Johnson Jr.<\/a> added 12 points and 10 rebounds.<\/p>\n The Wolverines overcame 13% 3-point shooting (2-for-15) to win a slugfest that looked more like a slogfest at times.<\/p>\n No matter.<\/p>\n Not-so-pure Michigan, perhaps, but enough to get the job done.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been finding ways to win like this all year,\u201d forward Yaxel Lendeborg said. \u201cWe started off really, really bad offensively, and our defense was the reason we won most of those games. Today was the same thing- we had a big lead and started getting more defensive rebounds and making tougher plays.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus ended a Big Ten saga that a generation of alums from several schools endured. The Big Ten, a power conference with arguably more power than any of its peers, sent eight teams to the title game since Tom Izzo\u2019s 2000 champions from Michigan State, and all eight came away empty-handed, sometimes in heartbreaking fashion and other times in a rout.<\/p>\n There was Illinois losing to North Carolina in 2005 to end its dream season, and Purdue falling to UConn in \u201924 in the Boilermakers\u2019 bid for their first title. Both great teams, but just not good enough when it mattered most.<\/p>\n Enter Michigan, which failed to finish the job in title games against Louisville and Villanova in 2013 and \u201918, respectively. This Wolverines team was supposed to be a different animal, a truly dominant team that was ready to make a statement.<\/p>\n The Wolverines (37-3) came into Monday\u2019s game on a mission to prove they weren\u2019t just great, but the best in Michigan\u2019s history and perhaps one of the best teams in tournament history. They were the first team to score 90 or more points in their first five games of the tournament, and had pummeled another top seed, Arizona<\/a>, by 18 points in the semifinals. They went 19-1 in the Big Ten, and their only nonconference loss was to Duke.<\/p>\n After an offensive struggle Monday, coach Dusty May\u2019s team might not be able to claim \u201cbest team ever\u201d status, especially after the unbeaten Indiana team from 1976<\/a> was honored during the game. But they can still claim the fictional Michigan crown, or at least make an argument.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we are (the best),\u201d Lendeborg said. \u201cI\u2019m waiting for the Fab Five to give us their approval, but if they do, let it be said we\u2019re the best team ever.\u201d<\/p>\n Burnett wasn\u2019t quite ready to push the Fabs out of the picture yet. As a student of history, he knew how important they were to changing the culture in basketball and America in the 1990s.<\/p>\n \u201cThe national championship in 1989 and ours in 2026 solidifies itself,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cBut the Fab Five set the way for us. They set the path for us to achieve greatness like we did together today, so shout out to them.\u201d<\/p>\n It almost ended badly for Michigan. A game marred by atrocious shooting ended with UConn making a belated comeback in the final minutes. The Huskies had established the tempo early in the game, and with Michigan starting out cold from the outside it was obvious this was not going to be another 90-point performance by the Wolverines.<\/p>\n Michigan missed all eight 3-point attempts in the first half, and the injured Lendeborg<\/a> wasn\u2019t contributing offensively, scoring only 4 points and going without a field goal until a layup with three minutes left.<\/p>\n But the Wolverines held UConn to 33% shooting and went into the locker room with a 33-29 lead, then began to meld together at the outset of the second half. When Cadeau nailed their first 3-pointer in 12 attempts seven minutes into the half, Michigan suddenly had an 11-point lead and was in control for the first time.<\/p>\n Why is Bill Murray, who loves Illinois basketball, rooting for UConn in the Final Four?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n UConn tossed up brick after brick, missing 11 straight 3-point attempts in the second half until Braylon Mullins sank back-to-back 3s on consecutive possessions, conjuring up thoughts of the miracle ending against Duke<\/a> in the Elite Eight.<\/p>\n Another 3 by Karaban cut the deficit to six with 2:30 left, but Huskies guard Solo Ball missed a layin and McKenney sank a 3 on the other end to switch the momentum back. While McKenny missed a pair of free throws to keep UConn\u2019s hopes alive, the Wolverines overall were 25-of-28 from the line while UConn went 12-of-16.<\/p>\n UConn coach Dan Hurley spent most of the game making painful grimaces over foul calls he didn\u2019t agree with, as is his MO. He was baited by a reporter to blame the refs, but to his credit, he only mentioned the free-throw disparity in passing. This was not going to be another Geno moment<\/a>, like another UConn coach had last weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a physical game,\u201d Hurley said. \u201cI mean, Michigan is so physical. Again, it\u2019s not the reason why we won or lost the game. (They were) plus-13 at the free throw line, plus-12 in attempts. I just felt the first half foul trouble, we were positioned if we didn\u2019t have that to potentially go into halftime with a lead.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go in with a lead and they make a run, you\u2019re down five instead of 11. But also, a problem for our team is undisciplined fouling at times. It\u2019s hard to ref that game. We both played so hard.\u201d<\/p>\n He then mentioned how great the refs were. No Geno here.<\/p>\n Lendeborg, a grad transfer from UAB, played despite a left knee strain and a bone bruise from the Arizona game. He wasn\u2019t his usual self, scoring 13 points and missing all five 3-point attempts. Landeborg said afterward he was only 50% but tried to save his strength to make a push at the end.<\/p>\n![\"Michigan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CTC-L-final-four-championship-0406-18.jpg\")
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) grabs a loose ball during the first half of the NCAA title game between UConn and Michigan April 6, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n![\"Michigan](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CTC-L-final-four-championship-0406-65.jpg\")
Michigan head coach Dusty May celebrates after defeating UConn, 69-63, in the NCAA title game on April 6, 2026, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Armando L. Sanchez\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n\n
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