University of Michigan wins first NCAA Championship since 1989

Photo courtesy of MGoBlog/Wikimedia Commons

After an eight-win season in 2023-24, many questioned how long it would take for Michigan basketball to return to its former glory. Fortunately for the Maize and Blue, head coach Dusty May was willing to take on the reclamation project for a storied program coming off a historic low. 

Akin to Curt Cignetti and his Indiana Hoosiers football team, it only took two seasons for May and the Wolverines to reach the mountaintop of the sport. After a historic 37-win season, Michigan rolled through the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament and cemented its dominant run with a 69-63 triumph over the UConn Huskies in the championship game. Monday night's victory marked the Wolverines’ first national championship since 1989. We will break down Michigan’s masterpiece and why this win marks a new age of college basketball. 

The first half was a hard-fought, gritty, and intense 20 minutes of basketball. Forward Morez Johnson was percolating early for the Wolverines, and the six-foot-nine sophomore had eight of Michigan’s 15 points as they trailed 16-15 with 10:23 left in the first half. It was becoming evident that the staggering size of Michigan's frontcourt was disrupting the Huskies’ ability to score anywhere near the paint. UConn’s star center, Tarris Reed Jr., was limited by foul trouble and was held to a meager five points in the first half. Reed was one of three UConn starters (along with Silas Demary Jr. and Solo Ball) whose ability to make an impact was severely affected by early foul trouble. This would come back to bite head coach Dan Hurley's squad in the closing minutes of the half.

With just 3:16 left in the half, UConn was leading 25-23. A foul was called on the Huskies’ Alex Karaban for a hook and hold on Morez Johnson Jr. Officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a flagrant foul. Following this pivotal call, Michigan would go on a 10-3 run, taking advantage of UConn’s abnormal lineup that consisted mostly of bench players due to the crippling foul trouble. Roddy Gayle Jr. would put a stamp on the run with a monstrous putback just before the buzzer sounded. After that big momentum swing, the half would close with the Wolverines leading 33-29. 

At the start of the second half, the game continued to be a closely contested defensive battle. That was until Elliot Cadeau, Michigan’s point guard, started to catch fire. For most of the game, he was breaking down the Huskies' defense with dribble penetration, but his damage was not limited to the interior. With a three-point basket at the 12:56 mark, Cadeau broke the Wolverines' streak of 11 straight missed three-pointers and pushed their lead to 48-37, forcing Hurley and the Huskies into a timeout.  

However, the Huskies showcased their resounding mettle by holding Michigan to only one field goal in almost five minutes of gametime. Fortunately for the thousands of Maize and Blue fans that made up most of the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, this team was not about to blink. With the lead down to six, freshman and Flint, Michigan native, Trey McKenney hit a crucial three-pointer with less than two minutes left in the game. This shot was a backbreaking blow to UConn, as it pushed the Wolverines' lead back up to nine and essentially put the game away. Minutes later, the buzzer sounded, Michigan was back on top of the college basketball world, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, was sent into a state of complete bedlam. 

Not only do the 2025-26 Michigan Wolverines have a claim as one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time, they also serve as a model of excellence in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era of college basketball. Head coach Dusty May built his team around a plethora of transfers, with four of his five starters being acquired through the transfer portal, including the most outstanding players of the final four: Elliot Cadeu (UNC) and Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB). 

This Michigan team is a symbol of the new standard in college basketball, where teams are putting a greater emphasis on the acquisition of premium talent in the transfer portal, rather than adhering to high school recruiting and homegrown talent. While it might not have been the most impressive national championship performance, Dusty May and the whole Michigan program should be celebrated for mastering an era of college basketball defined by turbulent roster overhaul.