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The Michigan Wolverines are the NCAA men's basketball national champions for the second time in program history.
The Wolverines defeated the Connecticut Huskies, 69-63, in the 2026 NCAA National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, Monday (April 6) night. Michigan held a 33-29 led at halftime and jumped out to an 11-point lead, matching its largest of the game, in the first three minutes of the second half before fending off several late pushes by the Huskies.
Point guard Elliot Cadeau led all scorers with 19 points, while also recording two assists and three rebounds, winning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game between Monday's win and the 91-73 rout against Arizona on Saturday (April 4). Forward Morez Johnson Jr. finished with a double-double, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wolverines finished the regular season with a 19-1 record (36-3 Big Ten) and won the Big Ten Tournament before entering the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness Tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region, scoring 90 points or more in their first five tournament games before Monday's win. Michigan had previously won the NCAA men's basketball national champion in 1989 and was the runner-up six times in program history.
UConn fell just shy of winning its third national championship in four seasons with Monday's loss, having won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.