5 Takeaways From Michigan’s Win Over UConn In The National Championship

INDIANAPOLIS — Once the confetti has been cleaned up and the Wolverines evacuate their locker room, what they’ve just accomplished will finally begin to set in.

Or maybe it never will.

But hidden somewhere in the pageantry lies the memory of the actual game played to reach the celebration. It was a hard-nosed gritty game, and Michigan ultimately found itself on top. 

Here are five key takeaways from Michigan’s first national championship victory since 1989…

It wasn’t junior guard Elliot Cadeau’s typical game — he didn’t rack up a boat load of assists, for example — but he was in control of the game from start to finish.

He finished the night with a game-high 19 points to go along with his three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

He worked his way to the free-throw line with consistency, finished at the rim, and hit Michigan’s much-needed first 3-pointer of the night. It seemed that whenever the Wolverines were searching for a spark, Cadeau was there to provide it.

To call Michigan’s shooting “rough” might be an understatement, and graduate forward Will Tschetter agrees.

“Probably the worst shooting night ever, Jeez Louise,” he said in response to it being called ‘not the greatest shooting night.’

Perhaps ‘worst’ is a bridge too far in the other direction, but it’s not a ridiculous proposition. The Wolverines finished an abysmal 2-for 15 from beyond the arc, by far their worst mark of the season.

Michigan was still able to pull out the win with that 3-point percentage, and it’s a testament to just how good they are in all other areas of the game. If a team can shoot 2-for-15 from three and still win, they probably deserve the national championship.

Making up for the lack of shooting, the Wolverines dominated inside on offense, out-scoring UConn 36 to 22 in the paint.

Sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. led the way on the interior, ending the night with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. He and Cadeau combined for all of Michigan’s first 15 points. 

The Wolverines knew they were the bigger team, so they took advantage of that whenever they could. If it was open, they dumped the ball to the big fellas underneath and let them go to work. And with the shots not falling from the outside, it was almost all they could do. Luckily for them, they’re quite good at it.

In the first half, UConn controlled the tempo. The Huskies play slow and methodical. They take their time, run their sets, and work the clock down — they play low-possession games. Michigan had not fared well in those kinds of games.

While the Wolverines took a four-point lead into halftime, the play style ultimately favored UConn in the long run. So, Michigan made a change.

It came out in the second half and made a point to start the break whenever it could. It led to a few more turnovers, but it also sped the Huskies up. The tempo baited UConn into bad, early-clock shots in lieu of its normal methodical offense. So while Michigan felt at home, the Huskies were uncomfortable.

The Wolverines had only 28 possessions in the first half, but in the second, they earned 35.

In the end, this change of pace was one of the biggest reasons Michigan came out on top.

Coming into the matchup, UConn was 6-0 all time in the National Championship game, while Michigan was 1-6. 

Going off of history alone, the Huskies had the upper hand. But the Wolverines were able to flip the script.

In just his second year at the helm, head coach Dusty May was able to bring Michigan its second national title in program history and finally finish the job that his predecessors had come short on six times in a row.

It’s quite shocking really, considering just two years ago the Wolverines were coming off of an 8-24 season. But May has given this program a complete 180, and it’s only fitting that he’s the coach to finally break through and win the program’s first title in 37 years.