After taking down Arizona in dominant fashion on Saturday, the No. 1-seed Michigan Wolverines will play the No. 2-seed UConn Huskies in the National Championship on Monday night in Indianapolis. The Wolverines are favored by the sportsbooks, and it seems like they have all the attention from the national media as well.
Here is how some national media outlets see the game playing out.
Ricky O’Donnell – SB Nation
Michigan showed it had a chance to be an all-time great college team in November at the Players Era Fest when it blasted
San Diego State by 40, Auburn by 30, and Gonzaga by 40. From that point on, the national championship race has been running through the Wolverines.
Arizona felt like one of the few teams with the talent to actually have a chance against Michigan. The game was only competitive for a few minutes despite the Wolverines’ three best players all getting in early foul trouble. It didn’t matter. Michigan showed its more than just Lendeborg’s team with an incredible team effort that showed off the full extent of their might. Elliot Cadeau dominated with his speed and playmaking despite a cold shooting night. Aday Mara proved you can’t teach 7’3 with a 7’7 wingspan by dominating the rim at both ends. Morez Johnson is all heart, hustle, and muscle — which is a cliche way to describe college basketball’s best and most versatile defender. Freshman Trey McKenney ripped the nets from three, Roddy Gayle uncorked a huge dunk or two. Arizona had been a steamroller all year, and this time they were the team that got steamrolled.
Michigan is uniquely equipped to defend Tarris Reed. It can match his strength with Johnson, and let Mara roam off the ball as a help-side shot blocker. It could also let Mara try to smother him with length. The Wolverines should have the advantage on the glass, and they will almost certainly draw more free throws. Demary could give Cadeau some trouble, but as long as he plays within himself, Michigan should win comfortably.
Michigan’s transition game is so hard to stop with Mara has the trigger man on outlet passes. Cadeau’s passing vision is second to none, and even a hobbled Lendeborg looked pretty great in the second half against Arizona.
Lendeborg’s injury is an issue if he doesn’t heal quickly. Michigan also showed it doesn’t really need him to roll a great team.
It’s been Michigan’s year all season long. It will lock it in on Monday night.
Prediction: Michigan 91, UConn 79
Jeremy Cluff – The Arizona Republic
Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg’s status looms large in this game, but the Wolverines showed their depth in their impressive win over Arizona and are a big favorite for a reason. UConn is going for its third title in four seasons, but Michigan’s defense will prove to be too much for the Huskies.
Prediction: Michigan 88, UConn 80
Bill Bender – The Sporting News
Lendeborg’s injury will be the focus through Monday. He returned against Arizona, but his mobility clearly was an issue. How much will an extra day of rest help? Remember, Lendeborg is one of Michigan’s best defenders. Will he be limited to being a 3-pointer shooter who keeps the Wolverines’ other scoring options open?
The UConn offense revolves around Reed. He is shooting 60.9% from the floor in the tournament. He also hit 5 of 5 from the free-throw line against the Illini. Reed opens up high actions on pick-and-rolls and has to be accounted for at all times in the paint. The Huskies will try to pull Mara out of the paint, and Johnson also will be matched up against Reed.
Will the Huskies shoot that well from 3-point range again? UConn had only five games with 12 or more 3-pointers entering Saturday’s game. Mullins and Karaban will take their shots, and Howard and Alabama each made 14 three-pointers against Michigan in the tournament.
If Michigan shoots the 3-pointer like it did against Arizona, then it will be trouble for the Huskies. The Wolverines were 12 of 27 from 3-point range, and five different players hit at least one.
How do Demery and Ball factor in on the perimeter? Can they force more turnovers against Cadeau, who has been a fantastic facilitator of Michigan’s offense. The Huskies have a tournament-proven defense. UConn limited Michigan State (33.9%) and Illinois (38.8%) to less than 40% shooting. The Illini shot 6 of 26 (23.1%) from 3-point range.
UConn is 5-1 S/U against Big Ten schools in the tournament under Hurley with five straight victories. The Huskies can frustrate an offense, but this is not an ordinary offense. Michigan is 4-2 S/U when limited to 72 points or less, and that would be the Huskies best hope to score one more upset. Michigan simply is playing at a championship level, and that will show through Monday.
Final score: Michigan 81, UConn 72
Bob Jordan – Asbury Park Press
Michigan beat UConn 59-0 the last time they met – in football. Thankfully for Huskies’ fans, UConn has a 2-1 edge in men’s basketball. The last hoops’ meeting was a 74-60 Huskies’ victory on November 25, 2015. This is the first time the programs will meet in the NCAA Tournament. The pick here is Michigan because No. 1 seeds are due – the No. 1s have failed to win the tournament the last three years (a long drought, considering No. 1s have won 65% of the tournaments since 1985).* Michigan 72, UConn 64
*Editor’s Note: Florida was a 1-seed when they won last year.
Pete Fiutak – College Football News
The two Final Four games were supposed to be tough, physical wars with major mood swings and tons of banging inside. And they were, but it didn’t matter. Michigan was tougher than Arizona, UConn was tougher than Illinois, and both games were ugly.
Here’s the real difference. Illinois couldn’t generate a lick of luck. It had open shots, and it had its chances at the rim, but everything that fell throughout the season and the NCAA Tournament didn’t go down. Arizona was never alive against the Wolverines. The guards couldn’t handle the moment, and the game got out of hand right away.
Expect Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg to be healthy enough to be the difference. Both teams match up great together, but Lendeborg is the one part the Huskies don’t have. Michigan will have to grind more than it might like, but it won’t buckle when the UConn attitude and big moments start to happen. The game will be played inside, and the Wolverines will be just a little better at it.
Prediction: Michigan 79, UConn 72
USA Today
- Blake Toppmeyer: Michigan. The Wolverines’ total destruction of Arizona solidified that Michigan is the class of the tournament. UConn is playing well, but nobody is playing better than Michigan.
- Paul Myerberg: UConn. The underdog Huskies get hot from deep and win another close one to capture the program’s seventh national title and cement Dan Hurley’s place as the king of the sport.
- Jordan Mendoza: Michigan. The Huskies are able to make it a competitive game, but Michigan is just too stacked. The Wolverines pull away midway through the second half and party like it’s 1989.
- John Brice: Michigan. The Wolverines played well enough in the regular season to land a No. 1 ranking for the first time in 13 years. They’re playing even better now — enough to end a national title drought that spans to 1989.
- Eddie Timanus: Michigan. While picking against UConn at the Final Four seems like a bad idea, this Michigan team is clearly built different. The Wolverines will take it, 90-75.
- Austin Curtright: Michigan. Michigan-Arizona was tabbed as one of the most-anticipated Final Four matchups in recent memory, and all the Wolverines did was dominate start to finish in a way no one has against the Wildcats this season. Michigan has defeated all of its 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament opponents by double digits, and finds a way to do so again against the Huskies, even with a potentially limited version of Yaxel Lendeborg.
- Ehsan Kassim: Michigan. Yes, this UConn team has been impressive in the past two rounds with a big comeback vs. Duke and then shut down Illinois’ offense. Michigan is another beast, as the Wolverines have been the most dominant team in the NCAA Tournament. They pull off the win to end a couple of droughts, even with Yaxel Lendeborg playing at less than 100%.
