"Shock the World Boys...Go Blue!" A Tournament Retrospective of our National Champions

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Michigan Basketball ‘26 NCAA Tournament Review

“Hail to the champions! Hail to Michigan!” This quote from Ian Eagle rang over the broadcast, as the 2026 national championship came to an end, with Michigan prevailing over UConn 69-63, capturing their first title since 1989.

With the Wolverines’ historic season coming to an end, it is only right to recap their tournament run, which ended with the nets being cut down in Indianapolis.

After falling to Purdue in the Big Ten tournament championship, Michigan was awarded the 1 Seed in the Midwest Region…

16 Seed Howard

After seeing fellow #1 seed Duke experienced a scare vs 16th seeded Siena, it was clear that the Wolverines had full focus in their own first round matchup. Despite Howard shooting a blistering 48% from beyond the arc, Michigan was able to pull off a 101-80 victory.

9 Seed St. Louis

Michigan’s next opponent was the midmajor St. Louis, led by Robbie Avila, a tough opponent that spent a lot of the season inside the AP top 25. Thanks to every Michigan starter scoring double figures, the Wolverines went on a big run late in the game, pulling away for a 95-72 victory, advancing to the Sweet 16.

4 Seed Alabama

Alabama brought a high paced, run and gun style, with future NBA point guard Labaron Philon Jr. detonating for 35 points. The duo of Yaxel Lendeborg and Elliott Cadeau helped spur Michigan on to a 90-77 win, with both stars stuffing the box score in multiple categories.

6 Seed Tennessee

Tennessee was a bit of a surprise to see in the Elite 8, after taking down the 2 and 3 seed in the region. Michigan had absolutely no problems with Tennessee, winning by a score of 95-62, and punching their ticket to the Final 4 in Indianapolis.

1 Seed Arizona

In one of the most anticipated matchups in NCAA tournament history, the two favorites to win it all going into the tournament faced off, with many assuming that the winner would go on to take home the championship in the next game. However, despite the hype of the game, and despite Michigan’s best player (Yaxel Lendeborg) playing only 14 minutes due to injury, Michigan would lead the game wire to wire, ending the game with a score of 91-73.

This game was a bit of a disappointment for many fans, as Michigan dominated Arizona the entirety of the game, taking advantage of the inside, and holding Arizona to just 37% shooting on the night. Aday Mara was the star in this game, dropping 26 points and 9 rebounds, along with 2 blocks.

2 Seed UConn

The final test for Michigan was against the 2 seed UConn, who against all odds had upset Duke on a last second heave, and defeated Illinois, to set up a date in the championship. This matchup was a clash of history, with UConn entering the game undefeated in national championships, and Michigan having 6 losses in the finals.

Despite UConn being the underdog, they were on the verge of a dynasty, with Dan Hurley leading them to 3 of the last 4 national championship games, winning the whole thing in 2023, and 2024. Dusty May was looking for his first national championship, in his 2nd Final 4 appearance, after leading FAU to the Final 4 in 2023.

The game itself was a bloodbath, both teams playing extremely physical, and struggling to create offense. Lendeborg was limited in his impact, due to an injury he picked up in the semifinal, and UConn did a fantastic job taking Mara out of his comfort zone, holding him to 8 points.

Elliott Cadeau was the star of the championship game, scoring 19 points and taking home the Most Outstanding Player award for the NCAA tournament. Star freshman Trey McKenney hit the dagger 3 pointer at the end of the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy, and putting the exclamation point onto the legendary 2026 Michigan basketball season.

Aftermath

Michigan’s national title marks the first title from the Big Ten since 2000, and it also marks one of the more dominant seasons we have ever seen. The Wolverines’ +114 margin in the tournament comes in at the 7th highest all time, and according to KenPom’s net season rating, this Michigan team is the best since 1999.

This Michigan team was a joy to watch throughout the season, and will go down in history, for bringing the national championship back to Ann Arbor. Dusty May has led Michigan from the worst team in the Big Ten, to national champions in just 2 seasons, and will look to continue building his legacy in the upcoming seasons.

Michigan will likely lose all 3 of the frontcourt starters to the NBA next season, along with veterans like Nimari Burnett, WIll Tschetter, and Roddy Gayle Jr. However, the duo of Elliott Cadeau and Trey McKenney will be back for the Wolverines next season, poised to be one of the top backcourts in the nation.

Michigan also has a strong recruiting class, highlighted by Brandon McCoy Jr., a 5 star PG from California, who committed during Michigan’s game against Arizona. The rest of the roster will be finalized after the transfer portal, where Dusty May has historically leaned on in finding key roster pieces, like the 4 transfers from this national championship team.

Michigan basketball is on top of the world again, for the first time since 1989, and this 2025-2026 team will never be forgotten, going down as one of the most iconic Michigan teams of all time, and hopefully the first of multiple championships for head coach Dusty May.