Michigan basketball fans might be pinching themselves this morning, but yes, the Wolverines are the 2025-26 college basketball national champions.
The Wolverines won their 37th game of the season on Monday night, in a 69-63 dogfight against UConn. There is no other way to describe it. Michigan shot 38 percent. UConn shot 31 percent.
Every possession was a battle. It was exactly the kind of game UConn wanted to play, and Michigan wanted to avoid. Yet, still, the Wolverines found a way. Yaxel Lendeborg was hobbled and still scored 13 points. Elliot Cadeau was a wizard, scoring 19 points and making 8-of-9 free throws.
The Huskies kept it interesting until the final seconds, until two final stops, and two Trey McKenney free throws that sealed the deal.
It was the Wolverines' first national championship in 37 years, and here is a look back with five observations from one of the most memorable nights in Michigan basketball history.
The best defensive team does it again
Defense wins championships. It's a saying because it's true. Michigan proved it again against UConn. The Wolverines were 2-of-15 from 3-point range. They allowed the Huskies to rebound 52 percent of their missed shots.
If you had told me that before the game, I would have said the Wolverines were cooked. But, Michigan held UConn to its lowest shooting percentage of the season (31). The Huskies made just 27 percent of their 3-pointers. That was never going to be good enough.
If Michigan had been more effective on the glass, it would have won the game more handily. But that was just one side effect of Yaxel Lendeborg being hobbled. UConn was tenacious, too.
However, Michigan was tenacious in its defense of the rim and the 3-point line. Yaxel's closeouts were special, especially late on Alex Karaban and Braylon Mullins. Those two went 6-for-20 from deep.
Dan Hurley talked about how Michigan impacted so many shots at the rim; it also affected a lot of 3-point shots with its length, which was a major turning point. UConn never got comfortable with the sheer size and athleticism of the Michigan basketball team.
Elliot Cadeau was a wizard
When they started talking about Most Outstanding Player, it wasn't even a debate. Two nights after 13 points and 10 assists in the Final Four blowout of Arizona, Cadeau was the most important player on the court.
The point guard, who confirmed he is coming back next season, drove UConn crazy all night. They couldn't keep him out of the paint. His teammates weren't quite able to finish, so the assist numbers were down, but his efforts were massive.
You need great guard play to win in March. Elliot Cadeau was the ultimate testament to that. During the NCAA Tournament, the North Carolina transfer scored 12.6 points per game and dished out 7.5 assists per game. The national championship game was the only game that he didn't have at least seven.
North Carolina kicked him to the curb because he couldn't shoot. Well, in the Big Dance, Cadeau made 12-of-31 shots from beyond the arc (38.7 percent) and averaged two triples per game. He attempted 20 free throws in the whole tournament. Nine were against UConn.
In every tournament game, Cadeau just played winning basketball. He made the right plays and did exactly what a point guard is supposed to do.
Michigan would not have won it all without him. He was the lynchpin that held this championship run together.
The three bigs were effective, even if it was ugly
Michigan wouldn't be national champions without the three-big lineup.
Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, and Yaxel Lendeborg didn't have the best night in terms of offensive efficiency, connecting on 13-of-27 shots, but against a stifling UConn defense, that proved to be the difference.
All told, the trio, which was essential in holding UConn to 31 percent from the field, especially Mara, who changed just about every shot at the rim, combined for 33 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks.
Early in the season, it wasn't clear if that lineup was going to work. Yaxel started shooting the ball at an elite level, which was the missing piece. He didn't have his shot or much else working on Monday.
But the size, length, versatility, and toughness of the Michigan frontcourt were a driving force behind the six-point win, just like they were a driving force behind all 37.
Trey McKenney hit two shots Michigan absolutely needed
Even playing some of the best defense you'll ever witness, Michigan needed to make a few jump shots. It didn't make a single one in the first half. Every single point was at the rim or a free throw.
After a cold start, missing four first-half shot attempts, McKenney buried a fadeaway jumper at the 14:24 mark of the second half to give Michigan an eight-point lead. Soon after was Cadeau's 5-0 run, the second longest of the game, that pushed the Wolverines lead to 11.
Then, with just under two minutes to go, and Michigan up by six, after a defensive rebound, McKenney got the ball on a fast break and knocked down the biggest 3-point shot in Michigan basketball history.
The Wolverines were up 65-56 with 1:52 left. McKenney also drilled two key free throws with 13 seconds left. Before March Madness, we wrote that McKenney was Michigan's secret weapon.
McKenney was that and more. He scored 18 points in the Final Four game, then delivered nine points off the bench that the Wolverines couldn't live without against UConn.
It all comes back to Dusty May
The true wizard in all of this is Dusty May. He became just the fifth head coach to win a national championship in his second season with a program. No one should be surprised if he wins another, very soon.
This isn't a one-year deal. Michigan has the No. 3 recruiting class, just landed another five-star, and could still bring back Aday Mara and Morez Johnson, although it won't be easy after how they played this season.
There will be plenty of time to look ahead. Looking back, May took over a team with eight wins two years ago and turned it around instantly. He didn't complain about rules, about the portal, about not being able to bring in juniors; he just went to work and found a way.
When the NIL funds weren't there, May personally fundraised money. When North Carolina didn't want Cadeau, May went all in. After Mick Cronin allowed Aday Mara to waste away on his bench, giving him one start in 2024-25, May built his entire Michigan defense around the 7-foot-2 center.
Anyone saying May "bought a team" has their head in the sand, to put it nicely. May has embraced the current state of college basketball better than any coach. And his players openly talked about how fun it was, while being the toughest, best defensive team in the sport.
It's all incredibly impressive and Dusty May is nothing short of a miracle worker.
Of course, John Beilein and Juwan Howard laid the foundation. Nobody does anything alone. This win was for everyone who built the program over the past 30-40 years. But a national championship doesn't happen without Dusty.
In a sport dominated by great head coaches, May's got next. He just beat Dan Hurley, a man who was winning 80 percent of his tournament games, and a program that hadn't lost on the second or third weekend of the tournament in 19 tries.
Michigan is the national champion. The Wolverines also have the best coach in college basketball, and honestly, it feels like Dusty May is just getting started.