Michigan Captures Second National Basketball Title Behind Injured Star Lendeborg
Finn's Take· TL;DR- Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 to capture second national title, first for Big Ten since 2000, behind junior guard Elliot Cadeau's 19 points and tournament MVP honors.
- Star senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg played through MCL sprain and ankle injury, contributing 13 points despite admitting at halftime he felt "awful" and "super weak."
- Coach Dusty May won national title in just his second Michigan season, three years after leading Florida Atlantic to 2023 Final Four as nine seed.
Historic Championship Victory
Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 Monday night to capture the program's second national championship, holding off a late rally by the Huskies who cut the deficit to just four points in the final minute . The victory marks the second title in program history, joining the 1988-89 squad, while the Wolverines earned their program-record 37th win in the process . The championship ended both Michigan's long wait for a title and also the Big Ten's, giving the conference its first men's basketball title since Michigan State in 2000 .
Junior guard Elliot Cadeau led Michigan with 19 points, while senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg had 13 despite playing through significant injuries, and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. added 12 . Cadeau was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds over the final two rounds, saying afterward "It just feels great being able to do this with the people I love" .
The Wolverines proved to be too physical for the Huskies in the championship matchup, shooting 28 free throws compared with only 16 for Connecticut while also dominating inside, outscoring the Huskies in the paint 36 to 22 . With 70,720 fans attending the game inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the crowd leaned heavily in Michigan's favor, with Wolverines fans bringing constant energy .
Playing Through Pain
Lendeborg sprained his left MCL and rolled his left ankle in Saturday's national semifinal win over Arizona but vowed to play Monday night, despite being the Big Ten Player of the Year who averaged 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds prior to the championship game . At halftime, Lendeborg confirmed in an unusually candid interview that he wasn't feeling like himself, saying "I feel awful, I feel super weak" and "I'm missing plays that I don't usually miss" .
Lendeborg came out with a wrap on his injured leg in the second half, and while he still didn't look 100%, he improved on the court and made multiple key plays after halftime, including a chase-down block to help thwart a UConn run . After a rough first half in which he managed just 4 points, Lendeborg finished the game with 13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 36 minutes, though he was far from his All-America form while shooting 4 of 13 from the field .
UConn also dealt with injuries as Solo Ball was playing through an ankle injury but provided a spark with three 3-pointers and 11 points for the game, while Lendeborg struggled to find the bottom of the net throughout . Lendeborg's contributions were ultimately key to a team effort in which Michigan had to fight off a gritty UConn team that kept fighting to keep pressure on Michigan's lead through the final buzzer .
Coach May's Remarkable Journey
The championship comes in just the second season of coach Dusty May's tenure at Michigan, three years after he led Florida Atlantic to the NCAA Final Four in 2023, and he was named the USBWA National Coach of the Year in 2026 . May was named the 18th head basketball coach at the University of Michigan in March 2024, agreeing to a five-year contract with an average value of $3.75 million annually .
In his first NCAA tournament at Florida Atlantic in 2023, May led the No. 9 seed Owls to the school's first Final Four, with victories over Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee and Kansas State, before losing to San Diego State on a buzzer beater, finishing the season with an NCAA Division I leading and program record 35 wins . In his tenure as FAU head coach from 2018 to 2024, May compiled a 126-69 record and never had a season with a losing record .
After the victory, May praised his team's character, saying "This team's just found a way all season" and noting they have "a love, trust, respect amongst themselves," while Lendeborg declared "We're the hardest-playing team. We're the best team in college basketball" . In addition to the national championship, the Wolverines won the Big Ten championship with a 19-1 record and claimed multiple individual honors including Lendeborg as Big Ten Player of the Year and May as Coach of the Year .