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Michigan Wolverines Men’s Basketball Team Wins National Championship, Defeats UConn 69-63

By  //  April 7, 2026

Former Florida Gators Assistant Dusty May Wins National Championship

ABOVE VIDEO: National Championship NCAA tournament extended highlights

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – The Midwest Region’s top seed and No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men’s basketball team defeated the East’s second-seeded and No. 7-ranked UConn, 69-63, on Monday (April 6) at Lucas Oil Stadium, securing its second national championship.

The national championship is the second in program history and the first since the 1988-89 squad. The Wolverines earned a program-record 37 wins this season, which also ties the Big Ten record for most wins in a season, set by Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball, and delivered the conference its first national title since 2000.

Ahead 33-29 at halftime, Nimari Burnett knocked down a pair of free throws on Michigan’s first possession to push its advantage to six points. UConn (34-6) responded with a score on its next shot clock cycle, which was the last score for either team for the next three minutes. Elliot Cadeau made a driving layup through contact, converted the free throw, and ended the scoring drought at the 16:20 mark.

Michigan and UConn traded scores with an and-one jumper from Yaxel Lendeborg and a step-back jumper from Trey McKenney. Cadeau made a driving baseline layup and a 3-pointer on his next time down the court for the first double-digit lead of the night, 48-37, with 12:56 remaining. The Huskies called a timeout and ended the Maize and Blue momentum. The Wolverines (37-3) then missed eight of their next nine shot attempts, and the lead was cut to five points, 50-45, with eight minutes to play.

Burnett forced a steal and dished to Roddy Gayle Jr., who threw a lob to Aday Mara for an alley-oop that started a 6-0 run over the next two minutes. The final basket of that run began six straight points from Lendeborg with 4:13 remaining. Michigan then went without a field goal for three minutes until McKenney made his first — and Michigan’s second — 3-pointer with 1:50 remaining, which kept the score at nine points, 65-56.

UConn rallied with under a minute to play and scored five points in 16 seconds off free throws and a banked 3-pointer. The Huskies’ attempt to make it a one-possession game came up empty, and McKenney made a pair at the free-throw line to seal the six-point victory.

Michigan held UConn scoreless on its first two possessions before the Wolverines opened the scoring with a layup from Morez Johnson Jr. and a layup from Cadeau on the following possession. Cadeau knocked down three free throws, and Johnson scored off an offensive rebound for a 9-4 Michigan lead at the under-16 timeout. The Wolverines struggled to score over the next four minutes, making just one basket courtesy of Cadeau, which made the score 11-10 with 11:57 to play.

The Midwest Region’s top seed and No. 3-ranked University of Michigan men’s basketball team took down the East’s second-seeded and No. 7-ranked UConn 69-63 on Monday (April 6) at Lucas Oil Stadium, securing its second national championship. (University of Michigan Image)

Cadeau and Johnson scored the first 15 Michigan points, a streak ended by a Mara layup off an entry pass from McKenney at the 7:38 mark. Michigan entered the bonus with 6:47 left, and Burnett knocked down a pair of free throws to retake the lead at 19-18. The game remained a one-possession contest with three different lead changes and five minutes without a Michigan field goal. The Huskies were assessed a flagrant foul, and Michigan used the free throws and possession to score a quick four points. Mara capped the 52-second 6-0 run with a layup and forced a UConn timeout with 2:24 remaining and a 29-25 Michigan lead.

The Wolverines went on a brief 4-0 run that ended with a tip-in slam for Gayle, which brought the lead back to two possessions after a Huskies basket, and Michigan took a four-point halftime lead.

Cadeau was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and led both teams with 19 points and two assists. Lendeborg scored 13 points, and Johnson rounded out Michigan’s double-digit scorers with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, including two of Michigan’s six blocks.

In addition to the national championship, the Wolverines won the Big Ten championship with a 19-1 record and claimed the Big Ten Player of the Year (Lendeborg), Defensive Player of the Year (Mara), and Coach of the Year honors for Dusty May.

Wolverines head coach Dusty May is a former assistant coach at the University of Florida from 2015-18. After his time in Gainesville, May became the head coach at Florida Atlantic University, where in 2023 he led the ninth-seeded Owls to the Final Four and nearly a national championship.