The No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines outlasted the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies 69-63 in the National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night, securing the second national title in school history and the first since 1989.
Elliot Cadeau led the charge with a game-high 19 points and two steals, while Yaxel Lendeborg added 13 points in the win. It certainly wasn’t the prettiest performance, but in the end, the Wolverines fought off UConn and got the job done.
Here are five takeaways from the
win as Michigan cut down the nets for the first time in nearly four decades.
Run to end first half, start second half was the difference-maker
It appeared UConn was going to take a lead into halftime before the Wolverines put together a much-needed 10-3 run to seize momentum and go up 33-28. Aday Mara had an assist to Yaxel Lendeborg and a bucket on back to back possessions, followed by a thunderous put-back dunk from Roddy Gayle Jr. to cap off the run. The Wolverines continued to take control in the early stages of the second half, going on a 15-8 spurt to build a double-figure lead and eventually take down UConn.
Elliot Cadeau saved his best for last, taking over final two games
The Michigan point guard was in complete control in the last two games, saving his best for last and leading the Wolverines to a national championship. After scoring 13 points and 10 assists in the Final Four win, Cadeau was even better against the Huskies – totaling 19 points, two assists and three rebounds. Cadeau scored or assisted on Michigan’s first seven points and was the catalyst for a 15-8 run to start the second half, highlighted by a pivotal three-pointer to force a timeout and extend the lead to 48-37.
Morez Johnson Jr. fueled offense in the midst of a slow start
It’s an understatement to say the Wolverines got off to a slow start offensively, shooting 11-for-30 from the field and 0-for-8 from 3-point range in the first half – but Morez Johnson Jr. kept Michigan in front heading into halftime. Johnson totaled a team-high 10 points and four rebounds in the first half alone, helping the Wolverines hold a 33-29 lead, despite really struggling to score. The Wolverines forward eventually finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to help fend off the Huskies.
Michigan completes the undisputed best season in school history
Following the win over UConn, the Wolverines completed the undisputed best season in program history. In addition to winning the school’s second national championship, Michigan set a school-record with 37 wins, won the Big Ten regular season title for the 16th time with a record-breaking 19 wins in conference play, and became the first program in 50 years to go undefeated on the road in the Big Ten. Simply put, we just witnessed the greatest Michigan team of all-time.
The Wolverines snap the Big Ten’s national title drought
It had been 26 years since the Big Ten won a national championship, but that drought is finally over. There were several teams that came close to ending the drought — including Michigan coming up just short in 2013 and 2018 — but no program was able to get the job done until now.
The Wolverines can certainly hang their hats on being the team to end the drought because as great of a league as the Big Ten is, Michigan is considered the class of the conference now.
