Standing on the podium next to the national championship trophy, Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May said it still "didn't feel real."
Michigan basketball fans can relate. After 37 years, and four losses, it felt like a national championship would never come.
Yet, in a dogfight against UConn on Monday night, the bullies of college basketball, a team that was aiming for its third national championship in four years, the Wolverines found a way.
It was a defensive performance for the ages, which is why Michigan won the national championship game 69-63 over UConn, with a grand total of two 3-pointers.
Michigan basketball wins national title with free throws, defense
The title game went exactly as the Huskies wanted it to. They even started mounting a comeback after falling behind nine points with a few minutes to go, after a massive 3-pointer by Trey McKenney.
Leading by seven, Michigan turned it over, UConn banked in a 3-pointer, and with 30 seconds left, it was far from over. Roddy Gayle missed two free throws, and then, Michigan got two final stops.
The first was with a four-point lead. Then, after the freshman, McKenney, made two free throws, as well as the only mid-range jumper I can remember from the Wolverines, Roddy Gayle secured the final defensive rebound and threw the ball away, igniting a celebration Michigan fans have waited 37 years to unleash.
Gayle missed two free throws at the end. Those were the only misses all night, outside on one from Elliot Cadeau in the first half. The Wolverines shot 89 percent at the foul line. They had a 13-point edge and much of it came from Cadeau, the Final Four MVP.
While the Wolverines shot just 38 percent overall and 2-for-15 from 3-point range, they held UConn to 31 percent, its lowest total on the season. UConn won the rebounding battle, but Michigan's defense was good enough, and they were good enough at the line to get it done.
At the end of the day, Michigan was the best defensive team in the country, and that's why they are the national champions.
It wasn't pretty, but in the eyes of Michigan fans, it was picture perfect.