INDIANAPOLIS — The team that always finds a way to win this time of year ran into a roadblock even it couldn’t conquer.
Eight days after the stunning 19-point comeback to knock off Duke — the overall top seed — Connecticut’s postseason magic ran dry. The never-say-die Huskies ran into a better version of the Blue Devils.
From November through March, there was an aura of invincibility about Michigan, from the Wolverines’ 40-point domination of Gonzaga to win the Players Era title to cruising to the Big Ten regular-season crown.
Monday night, the transfer-portal-built Wolverines completed one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory, and they did so on a night their star, Yaxel Lendeborg, clearly wasn’t right on a sprained left knee, and they couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean from the 3-point arc.
It didn’t matter.
Dusty May’s Wolverines were inevitable, methodically wearing down UConn for a 69-63 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium, their first national championship since 1989. It marked the Huskies’ first loss in the tournament in the Sweet 16 or later since 2009.
UConn made Michigan earn it, playing them tougher than anyone in this tournament. The Huskies outrebounded the Wolverines by seven, held them to by far their lowest point total of the tournament — they were averaging 95.2 entering the night — and actually put game pressure on them.
It wasn’t until Trey McKenney’s right-wing 3-pointer — one of two triples on the night for the Wolverines in 15 attempts — with 1:49 left, which pushed the lead to nine, that the result no longer felt in doubt.
“Let’s go Blue” chants followed. The Big Ten was finally going to crown a champion, 26 years after Michigan State cut down the nets.
Elliot Cadeau, the West Orange, N.J. native and one of four key offseason additions from the transfer portal, scored a team-high 19 points. Lendeborg added 13 and Morez Johnson Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds. In the final game of his storied career, Alex Karaban had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead UConn. Tarris Reed Jr. added 13 points and 14 rebounds to cap off a brilliant tournament.
Michigan (37-3) started fast, much like Saturday, scoring nine of the game’s first 13 points. A Solo Ball 3 helped to settle down Connecticut (34-6), and started a 14-6 burst. The Huskies started 3-of-6 from downtown, and the 3-point shot kept them in the game. At halftime, they were plus-15 from deep, as Michigan failed to hit a single 3, going 0-for-8.
The Wolverines, though, closed the half by outscoring Connecticut 10-4 over the final 4:30. Aday Mara got going, scoring twice inside and setting up a Lendeborg layup. During that stretch, a hook-and-hold was called on Karaban, resulting in a four-point Michigan possession.
UConn had major foul issues at halftime: Two fouls apiece on Reed, Ball and Demary. They were minus-14 in the paint against the bigger Wolverines, and were doubled-up in second-chance points, 10-5. Malachi Smith, the lone New Yorker in the Final Four, provided a spark off the bench, with four points, three rebounds and three assists.
Lendeborg was not happy with himself, after managing just four points on 1-of-5 shooting. He clearly wasn’t 100 percent with a sprained left knee and left ankle he sustained on Saturday.
“I feel awful. I feel super weak right now,” he told CBS at halftime. “I can’t make anything. … I’m missing plays I don’t usually miss.”
He aggressively went to the basket early in the second half for a three-point play, and Michigan’s lead was a game-high eight, at 41-33. Connecticut was up against it, Ball with four fouls and Silar Demary Jr. and Reed with three apiece, at the under-16 media timeout.
The lead went to 11, after Cadeau scored five straight points, forcing a UConn timeout. There was still 12:47 remaining, plenty of time for these Vampire Huskies. They had it down to five and possession, but Karaban turned it over, Mara threw down an alley-oop and Karaban missed a 3 on the other end. It was Connecticut’s 11th straight errant 3.
