Michigan captured the national championship by outlasting UConn in Indianapolis, cutting down the nets after the Wolverines closed the season as college basketball's last team standing.
The victory concluded the Final Four in Indianapolis and gave Michigan its second national title, a moment marked by image and ritual as 7-foot-3 Aday Mara needed a ladder to reach the top of the net during celebrations.
Coach Dusty May and his staff guided a roster that leaned on unselfish play, a trait both May and UCLA coach Cori Close called "uncommon" in modern college athletics.
May said that bringing a talented group together who agreed from the start on how they would play and never wavered was likely "the most uncommon thing in athletics now," and he credited that decision for the result.
Senior guard Yaxel Lendeborg said he knew he was going to play as soon as he returned to the court, and he described feeling tentative while battling pain from an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain sustained in Michigan's Final Four game against Arizona.
Lendeborg told CBS at halftime he felt "awful" and "weak," and after the title game he said he was also dealing with mental issues and would learn whether he needed surgery in the days following celebrations.
Several public reactions followed the championship, including congratulations from LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin, who noted a personal connection to May from their overlapping time at Florida Atlantic University.
Kiffin was the head football coach at Florida Atlantic from 2017 to 2019, and May served as the lead men's basketball coach there from 2018 to 2024, a shared history Kiffin referenced while congratulating Michigan.
Coach Turnaround Details And Tournament Context
May reached the title in his second season at Michigan after overseeing a rapid program turnaround, compiling a 64-13 overall record and a 33-7 mark in conference play in those two years.
Under May the team posted the winningest season in program history at 37-3, won the 2025 Big Ten Tournament, and earned May the 2026 Big Ten Coach of the Year honor, culminating with the 2026 national championship.
Michigan had been 8-24 the season before May arrived, a contrast May highlighted while reflecting on the program's changing landscape and ability to retain quality players even when results were uncertain.
Observers noted the Final Four's Indianapolis setting was fitting for a Big Ten champion, and the conference secured its first national title since 2000 with Michigan's win.
Organizers also revealed several future Final Four sites, listing Detroit for 2027, Las Vegas for 2028, Indianapolis again for 2029, North Texas/Arlington for 2030, and Atlanta for 2031, with each site set to use its NFL stadium.
The season ended with lighthearted attention beyond the court when the US Department of the Interior tweeted a photo of an actual wolverine while acknowledging Michigan's achievement.
