Michigan spent most of this season playing its game – and playing it well. Blessed with an abundance of talent, size, playmaking ability and depth, the Wolverines like to open it up on offense. And when Michigan gets rolling, it can be hard to handle.
Michigan not only won a program-best 37 games this season, but did so in dominating fashion. The Wolverines won eight games by 30 or more points and six games by 40 or more. In what most consider the nation’s best conference, Michigan went 19-1 in Big
Ten play and won the conference championship by a full three games.
That strong play carried over into the NCAA tournament. The Wolverines steamrolled into the title game scoring at least 90 points in their first five games, outscoring their opponents by more than 100 points along the way. After blowing the doors off Arizona in the national semifinal, Michigan came into Monday’s championship game against UConn on a serious roll.
Of course, UConn also came into the championship game on a roll – albeit a different kind of roll.
Head coach Dan Hurley and the Huskies prefer to play at a more measured pace. More comfortable in games played in the 60s than the 80s, UConn knew it couldn’t get into a wide open, fast-paced battle with Michigan. It’s best chance for victory was to slow things down and make Michigan play its game.
Something at which UConn was successful.
In a slog of a game, Michigan struggled to get much going offensively. With their shots not falling, the Wolverines found themselves trailing by two with just over four minutes to play in the first half. But if Michigan was frustrated, it didn’t show.
Earlier this season, I wrote that one of Michigan’s greatest – if often overlooked – attributes is its composure. Michigan hasn’t faced many difficult moments this season, but when it has, it’s never pressed, never panicked.
And it didn’t panic on Monday night.
In a half where little went right offensively, Michigan never wavered. And after finishing the half on a 10-4 run, the Wolverines took a four-point lead into the locker room.
It was a lead Michigan would never surrender.
When the second half started, the Wolverines kept the pressure on and extended their lead. But while Michigan led the entire half, it was never able to distance itself from UConn. In a grueling final 20 minutes, every time Michigan threatened to pull away, UConn countered.
It was a game that was not for the faint of heart. Nor was it the kind of “Beautiful Basketball” for which Michigan is known. But it was also a game in which the Wolverines were comfortable. With each defensive stop, each defensive rebound, the Wolverines inched closer to victory. And when freshman Trey McKenney connected on what was Michigan’s second three-pointer of the night with just under two minutes to play, the countdown to a championship was on.
Michigan prevailed against a UConn team that was looking for its third title in four years for a number of reasons.
It won because Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. played relentless defense in the paint. It won because Roddy Gayle and Trey McKenney contributed valuable minutes off the bench.
It won because its best player, Big Ten MVP and first-team All-American Yaxel Lendeborg, played a full 30 minutes just two days after injuring both his ankle and knee. Though he lacked his usual explosiveness, Lendeborg still managed to score ten points and played inspired defense the entire night – at times even playing the point on full-court pressure situations.
“I knew there was no way I was going to miss this game,” Lendeborg said, “but I wasn’t happy with my play. I had opportunities to make plays, and I couldn’t make the play.”
“I felt like I was holding our team down,” Lendeborg added, “But these guys stuck with me. They all believed in me and helped me push through.”
But while Michigan won for all these reasons, it won primarily because of point guard Eliot Cadeau. On a night when points were hard to come by, Cadeau all but willed Michigan to victory. Cadeau, named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, finished with a game-high 19 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
When asked what he first saw in Cadeau, May responded, “We felt like we needed a quarterback, a pass-first quarterback on the floor at all times.” After watching his tape and talking to some of his former coaches, May felt like Cadeau could be that guy.
He’s been that guy all season.
But Monday night, in addition to controlling the action (as a pass-first quarterback does), Cadeau also provided a scoring punch on a night his team desperately needed it. And in doing so, propelled Michigan to a national championship.
After the confetti had fallen, May talked about what this national championship meant to his players and to the program.
“We talked about it early in the season,” May said, “to hang a center banner. Michigan has a proud tradition and there are a lot of banners hanging in the rafters. But there’s one lonely banner up in the middle.”
It won’t be lonely much longer.
Author’s Note: Apologies for the late post. I penned a rough draft on my flight back from Indy, but an unusually busy week kept me from revisiting the piece until now. Michigan fans waited nearly 40 years for a season – and a night – like this. Hopefully waiting another week for this recap isn’t too much.
