2026 Final Four: What you need to know for the national championship game between Michigan and UConn
2026 Final Four: What you for the national championship game between Michigan and UConn
Nick BrombergSun, April 5, 2026 at 3:06 PM UTC
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The biggest college basketball tournament is here, bringing plenty of excitement and storylines. Will we see Cinderellas pull upsets, or will the bluebloods keep their grip on the tournament? With the power of a reliable connection always important during a successful tournament run, we’re keeping you connected to the can’t-miss headlines and standout moments from every round.
Will a long national title drought get broken for school and conference, or will we see the continuation of the best NCAA tournament run since UCLA?
Monday night’s men’s NCAA tournament national championship game is full of intrigue. Here’s everything you ahead of the matchup between Michigan and UConn.
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 2 UConnHow Michigan got here
It’s still a bit hard to fathom how Michigan turned what was supposed to be the game of the year in college basketball into a complete domination while Yaxel Lendeborg was sidelined for much of the first half with foul trouble and then hobbled by left leg injuries.
The final score of the Wolverines’ 91-73 win over Arizona on Saturday night doesn’t really show just how much of a blowout the game was. Michigan led by 16 at halftime and stretched the lead out to 29 points in the second half. Those margins were, by far, the biggest Arizona had faced all season.
Michigan is the first team in NCAA tournament history to score at least 90 points in each of its first five games of March Madness. What are the odds they’ll go six-for-six?
How UConn got here
The Huskies know better than anyone else how to slow down Illinois’ offense. After holding Illinois to 61 points in a November win, UConn beat the Illini 71-62 in the first semifinal. Those are Illinois’ two lowest-scoring games of the season. The only other time the Illini failed to touch 70 was in an ugly 65-55 Sweet 16 win over a Houston team that couldn’t make a shot.
Sure, Illinois had some really good looks that simply didn’t go in the basket on Saturday night. But the Illini had three total assists on 19 made field goals .Two UConn players — Alex Karaban and Silas Demary Jr. — each had more assists by themselves.
The win continued a bizarre and incredible streak for UConn basketball that dates back to the 2009 season. In 10 tournament appearances since losing in the Final Four 17 years ago, UConn has four national titles and six exits in either the first or the second round. The Huskies have now won 19 straight games past the second round of the tournament. Can they make it 20?
What’s on the line
A win for Michigan means Dusty May becomes the eighth active coach to win a national title along with Hurley, Kansas coach Bill Self, Baylor’s Scott Drew, St. John’s coach Rick Pitino, Arkansas’ John Calipari, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and Florida’s Todd Golden. A Wolverines win would also be the team’s first since 1989 and the first for a team in the Big Ten since Michigan State in 2000.
Current Big Ten member Maryland won the national championship in 2002, but the Terrapins were a member of the ACC back then.
A UConn win pushes Hurley’s NCAA tournament record to 21-5 and just behind UCLA’s John Wooden for the best NCAA tournament winning percentage. Wooden’s teams won 82.5% of their tournament games with a 47-10 postseason record. Hurley’s win percentage will grow to 80.7% with a third national title in four seasons.
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The last team to have a run like that? Wooden’s Bruins. No team has won three titles in four years since UCLA won 10 titles over 12 seasons from 1964 through 1975.
Players to watch
UConn G Silas Demary Jr. has been playing through a high left ankle sprain he suffered in the Big East tournament against St. John’s. Before Saturday’s game, UConn coach Dan Hurley estimated that Demary could be close to 90%, and he was fantastic against the Illini.
The Georgia transfer had nine rebounds and seven assists in the semifinal win. He didn’t shoot well from the field, but he and Tarris Reed Jr. combined to grab 20 of UConn’s 33 rebounds.
They’ll have to do the same kind of rebounding work on Monday night against Michigan’s frontcourt. The Wolverines have a distinct size advantage that UConn will need to neutralize.
As Demary isn’t at 100%, it’s clear that Michigan F Yaxel Lendeborg won’t be either. He’s the obvious choice for the Wolverines given the injuries he played through on Saturday night. After leaving the game early with two fouls, Lendeborg stepped on the foot of Arizona’s Mateijus Krivas while driving to the lane. Lendeborg tried to walk it off, but left the game and didn’t return until after halftime.
When he did, he had a brace on his left knee along with some new tape on his left ankle. After the game, Lendeborg said there was no way he was missing Monday night’s game even as he’s dealing with a sprained MCL and an aggravated left ankle from an injury during the Big Ten tournament.
How explosive can he be getting to the rim? Michigan showed that its offense doesn’t have to revolve around him against a top-tier opponent. But there’s no disputing the Wolverines are better with their consensus All-American.
Keys to the game
Michigan out-rebounds its opponents by nearly nine boards a game. And UConn has showed in the NCAA tournament that it doesn’t need to match its opponent on the glass.
But the Huskies do have to figure out a way to counter Michigan’s size. Arizona seemed like a fantastic matchup for Michigan, but that didn’t work out in reality. Aday Mara made six of his first eight shots and finished 11-of-16 from the field for 26 points and nine rebounds.
Foul trouble didn’t even slow the Wolverines down, either. Lendeborg, Mara and Morez Johnson each had two fouls in the first half.
Reed has been fantastic in the NCAA tournament, including a 26-point, nine-rebound performance in the Elite Eight win over Duke. But it will take a team effort down low for the Huskies.
UConn’s hopes of an upset also likely hinge on a massive game from Alex Karaban. He played a key role on UConn’s title teams in 2023 and 2024 but has struggled over the past two games. Against Duke and Illinois, Karaban is just 3-of-18 from the field and 2-of-13 from behind the 3-point arc.
He’s a career 38% shooter from deep.
Source: “AOL Sports”
