INDIANAPOLIS – The Michigan Wolverines have been the best team in men’s college basketball all season. The UConn Huskies have been the sport’s biggest name since the moment they hired Dan Hurley, and he has two national championship rings to prove it. The 2026 national championship game will be a blast, but only one team can score on Monday night.
Michigan has been strangling teams all year, but saved its best performance of the season for its Final Four run in Arizona. In a matchup between the top two teams in the KenPom rankings, the Wolverines showed their power even when superstar forward Yaxel Lendeborg was limited to just five minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and injuries. Arizona only had two losses on its resume entering the night and had not been losing by more than 12 points this season. Michigan was still up 18 before halftime, and it was a blowout from there.
It looked like UConn might exit the tournament early after losing its regular-season finale to a bad Marquette team and then getting blown out by 20 points by St. John’s in the Big East tournament championship game. Dan Hurley turned it on once the NCAA tournament started and Braylon Mullins’ miracle three to upset Duke in Elite Eight saved season. The Final Four victory against Illinois was further proof that he is the best postseason coach in all of sports.
Hurley distinguished Illinois’ size by taking shooters off screens all night and letting the Illini big men shoot from three. UConn looked like a team used to playing games in a football stadium in its third Final Four appearance in the last four years. Maybe the sight lines affected the Illini, or maybe it was just a cold shooting night, but the Huskies got all the rebounds they needed while Brad Underwood’s team couldn’t buy a bucket.
Hurley and UConn are aiming for three national championships in four years. Michigan wants to solidify its place as one of the most dominant college teams in recent memory. Who has the advantage?
How UConn can win the 2026 national championship
The Huskies have the best coaching staff in the United States. Hurley is so good that he turned down $70 million to coach the Los Angeles Lakers and it doesn’t even seem like a regrettable move. Lead assistant Luke Murray is a schematic genius and will be Boston College’s head coach after Monday night. Kimani Young is another elite assistant who has been with Hurley this entire career.
It’s hard to prepare for UConn’s offense because no one plays like them. The Huskies finished in the 100th percentile for off-screen play types.and also mix in a dizzying combination of back cuts and dribble handoffs. Hurley won a national championship with Jordan Hawkins running off those screens to make shots. Then he did it with Cam Spencer. Now Braylon Mullins is their latest gunner. No matter who plays the role, the offense produces big shots and Hurley recruits players who can hit them.
Alex Karaban has been Hurley’s rock all along. He was a first-year starter on the 2023 national champions led by Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo, and then was alongside Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan in the 2024 championship race. Hurley tried to make Karaban the focal point last season, and it wasn’t the right fit as the team was eliminated in the round of 32 by eventual champion Florida. Karaban returns to his old role this year and UConn is once again a postseason juggernaut.
The Huskies upgraded their point guard position during the offseason by adding Silas Demary, a ferocious attacking defender who also makes 39 percent of his 3-pointers. Demary helped increase the ball pressure and the defense suddenly took off, going from 75th last season to 8th this year.
Tarris Reed has been the best player on the team and one of the best in this NCAA tournament. He uses his strength and 7’5 wingspan to eat inside. He gives UConn so many second chances on the offensive glass, and he has become very good at challenging shots at the rim without fouling. Reed began his career at Michigan and winning Monday night would be the ultimate validation for him.
Michigan might have trouble getting through UConn’s maze of screens with such a large lineup. The Huskies limit their opponents to 30.1 percent shooting from three on the year. If the Wolverines are cold from deep and the game is close late, Hurley will have a chance to work his magic again late in the game.
Why Michigan will win the 2026 national championship
Michigan showed it had a chance to be an all-time great college team in November at the Players Era Fest when it beat San Diego State by 40, Auburn by 30 and Gonzaga by 40. From that point on, the race for the national championship has been running through the Wolverines.
Arizona felt like one of the few teams with the talent to have a chance against Michigan. The game was only competitive for a few minutes even though the Wolverines’ three best players were in foul trouble early. It didn’t matter. Michigan showed that it is more than just Lendeborg’s team with an incredible team effort that showed all its power. Elliot Cadeau dominated with his speed and playmaking despite a cold night of shooting. Aday Mara showed that you can’t teach 7’3 with a 7’7 wingspan by dominating the rim on both ends. Morez Johnson is all heart, hustle and muscle, which is a cliché way to describe the best and most versatile defender in college basketball. Freshman Trey McKenney ripped the nets from three, Roddy Gayle uncorked a big dunk or two. Arizona had been a steamroller all year, and this time they were the team that got steamrolled.
Michigan is uniquely equipped to defend Tarris Reed. He can match strength with Johnson and allow Mara to get off the ball as a help-side shot blocker. It could also allow Mara to try to smother him with length. The Wolverines should have the advantage on the glass and will almost certainly take more free throws. Demary could cause some problems for Cadeau, but as long as he plays within himself, Michigan should win comfortably.
Michigan’s transition game is very difficult to stop, as Mara has the trigger on outlet passes. Cadeau’s passing vision is second to none, and even a lame Lendeborg looked pretty good in the second half against Arizona.
Lendeborg’s injury is a problem if it doesn’t heal quickly. Michigan also showed that it doesn’t really need him to make a great team.
It’s been Michigan’s year all season long. He will close it on Monday night.
