By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Tanner Pearson / NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Party like it’s 1989! The Michigan Wolverines are the national champions after defeating the UConn Huskies, 69-63, on Monday night.
It’s been 37 years since the Wolverines tasted a national championship. None of the players was even born at the time. The Wolverines finished the season with a 37-3 record. Six Michigan players averaged double figures throughout the tournament. Their defense has been impeccable, averaging 7.2 blocks during the tournament.
Both teams took advantage of second-chance points. The Wolverines could’ve had a big lead in the first half if they hadn’t missed many field goals. At one point in the first half, the Wolverines missed eight of nine field goals. The Wolverines didn’t make their first three until the second half, and it came from guard Elliot Cadeau.
UConn’s three-point shooting went cold in the second half. They made five of 13 in the first half, but they went 0 for 13 until the last few minutes of the second half, when they made some threes.
Wolverines head coach Dustin May got this team prepared after coming up short in the tournament last season. May and several of his players spoke at the postgame press conference, wearing their championship hats and with the trophy on the table.
“What a way to end the 2025-26 college basketball season,” May said after the game. “We all improve so much. It’s when you bring a group this talented together, and they decide from the beginning that they’re going to do it this way, and they never wavered.”
Cadeau has taken his game to a whole other level this season. He entered the transfer portal during the offseason, coming from UNC. His impact was huge. Cadeau finished with 19 points.
“All year we’ve been just finding ways to win,” Cadeau said. “We made two threes the whole game. We weren’t making shots. We find ways to win no matter how everybody’s playing.”
Forward Yaxel Lendeborg is one of the reasons why the Wolverines are standing tall. He’s one of the best players on this team. Defense is a mindset he always carries and demonstrates on the court.
“Whenever offense isn’t rolling, we find a way to make plays with our defense and make it lead the quick offense,” Lendeborg said.
Wolverines demonstrated a lot of toughness. This team believes in each other. It was a mental and physical battle. Here they are, as national champs, cutting down the net. The leadership and coaching staff were instrumental in the Wolverines players staying focused throughout their championship run.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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