The No. 1-seed Michigan Wolverines are just one win away from securing the second national championship in school history. They’ll take on UConn tonight to try and finish the job and come back to Ann Arbor as champs.
We spoke to multiple players about what winning a championship would mean to them prior to the title game. Michigan guards Nimari Burnett and Elliot Cadeau, and forward Will Tschetter detailed the importance of a championship.
“A championship would mean everything,” Burnett said. “To finish
my career in this game is something I dreamed of since I was a kid. We talk about April habits every day and to play on April 6 is something we had marked on our calendars.”
Burnett may have started his college career elsewhere, but he transferred to the Wolverines in 2023 and has become a true staple of the program throughout his three years in Ann Arbor. He has turned into one of the leaders in the locker room.
“We all know what it would mean to all of us and what it would mean to the university,” Cadeau told the media. “It’s been so long that I would be in the history books at Michigan, and I’m just very glad to have the opportunity to be able to do that.”
Cadeau is in his first season with the Wolverines after transferring from North Carolina, but he’s quickly adapted to the program and has regained his confidence at Michigan. Winning a national championship would validate his decision even more.
“I’ve only been at Michigan for a couple months, but I definitely feel a connection,” Cadeau said. “The alums are here at games and the Fab Five are at games. It’s just really refreshing and it helps me learn about being connected to the past.”
Michigan has gotten very close to winning it all on several occasions — reaching the National Championship twice in the past 14 years — but the program is still searching for its first title since 1989. Now, the Wolverines are one win away again.
“It’s only been done here one time so I think just for the university in general and for a program that I obviously love so much, it would mean the world,” Tschetter said following the Final Four win on Saturday over Arizona.
Tschetter is the longest-tenured player on the team, committing to the Wolverines in 2020 and staying with the team through a coaching change. Winning a national title would be a storybook end to his career.
It’s clear just how much a national championship would mean to not only the players and coaches, but also the community, program and university as a whole. All it will take to end the nearly four-decade drought is just get one more win.
