INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — UConn executed coach Dan Hurley's game plan in Monday night's national championship slugfest against Michigan.
The Huskies were physical, controlled the pace and held the Wolverines' potent offense in check. But this time, the big shots that propelled them to the cusp of a third national championship in four seasons simply didn't fall.
Not for fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins, not for record-breaking forward Alex Karaban, not even
for Malachi Smith, who missed a layup with 7 seconds left that might have kept hope alive in Storrs, Connecticut. Instead, UConn came up short in a 69-63 loss, its first in seven title game appearances, thwarting its chance to become the first team since the UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s to win three crowns in such quick succession.
UConn picked the wrong time to shoot a season-low 30.9% from the field and a dismal 27.3% from 3-point range. The Huskies were even worse in the second half: 28.9% from the field and 4 of 18 from beyond the arc.
Maybe UConn didn't have enough fight left after it survived the tourney's top seed, Duke, in the regional semifinals and won a 71-62 bruiser against Illinois on Saturday night.
It was UConn's first loss after the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2011, ending a 19-game winning streak in the toughest parts of the bracket.
Michigan, which won its second national title and first since 1989, also brought plenty of physicality to the matchup. The Wolverines held each of their last four opponents to season-low shooting percentages.
They relied on the Big Ten's brand of bully ball to get UConn into foul trouble, win the wrestling matches for loose balls and eventually wear down the perimeter shooters who had saved UConn in its incredible 19-point comeback against Duke before doing it again when things got close late against Illinois.
This time, the Huskies' shooters came up empty.
Mullins scored 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 3 of 10 on 3s. After opening the game by making his first two shots, Karaban made three of his next 12 and converted only one of the final eight 3-point attempts of his brilliant career.
Nobody else was much better. Big man Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds but was 4 of 12 from the field. And while Mullins and Karaban combined for six 3s, the rest of the team was 3 of 13 beyond the arc.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
