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I’m waiting for a Final Four MVP (or MOP, as they call it – Most Outstanding Player) announcement. And here it is …
It’s Elliot Cadeau. Well deserved.
On that note, we’ll wrap this college basketball season. Back again in November.
But first, the transfer portal! Follow the headlines tomorrow.
Thanks for following along with us. Congrats to a deserving champion.
Stats of note
Michigan shot badly (38%, 13% on 3-pointers), but UConn was no better (31%, 27% on 3s). Michigan blocked six shots, and their big front line affected several other shots.
As May mentioned, UConn had the rebounding edge, 46-39. Reed and Karaban both had double-doubles – Reed 13 and 14, Karaban 17 and 11.
The biggest difference was Michigan driving toward the basket and drawing fouls, then hitting those free throws – 25 of 28, and two of those misses were by one person in the last minute. UConn, on the other hand, relied on perimeter shooting – nearly half their shots were from behind the arc.
Elliot Cadeau is surely the MVP of this game, finishing with 19 points, 2 assists (but seemed like more) and 2 steals.
Lendeborg, who battled through injury and played 36 minutes, says his teammates never gave up on him. The box score says he shot 4 for 13, but his impact was immeasurable.
The Wolverines are worthy champions all the way around. UConn scrapped and fought like always, but Michigan just made too many good plays and kept their nerve at the free throw line.
There were no incidents in the postgame handshake. And no apparent ill will. Hurley complained about call after call but didn’t seem the least bit aggrieved with the opponents.
Michigan coach Dusty May: “If you told me we’d shoot this poorly and be dominated on the glass and still win …”
Michigan wins the national championship Smith misses a layup, Michigan gets the rebound and flings it down the court. Ball game.
McKenney makes both free throws. Such poise from the freshman. 69-63
UConn 63-67 Michigan, 0:13 left, second half: The officials rule against UConn. Now they’re charged with a timeout – their last.
Karaban launches a long 3, and it’s off the front of the rim.
McKenney grabs the rebound and hangs on for dear life.
Foul on UConn, but Hurley continues the poor sideline performance by UConn coaches this weekend and appeals for an elbow on McKenney. He has griped about every call tonight.
Successful inbounds play, and Michigan burns eight seconds.
Gayle misses the first free throw – a rare miss for the Wolverines tonight. He misses the second. Mullins with the rebound. Uh oh.
UConn 63-67 Michigan, 37 seconds left, second half: Officials review to see if the shot was a two or three. Looks like it’ll be a three.
I was just telling someone UConn would probably hit a fluke shot or three to get back in this.
Off the timeout, Michigan botches the inbounds. Lendeborg tries to save it, but it hits the backboard.
Ball banks in a jumper. Foot over the line, so it’s just two. Lead is five. Timeout.
67-62, 37 seconds
Michigan can’t beat the press this time. The ball is tied up. Possession arrow to the Wolverines, and they’ll call timeout.
67-60, 48 seconds
UConn 60-67 Michigan, 53.8 seconds left, second half: Karaban hits both free throws.
UConn goes to Mullins in the corner. Misses. Gayle fouls Karaban going for the rebound.
53.5 seconds.
Cadeau to the line. Hits the first. Hits the second.
Michigan 67-58, 1:07
Michigan beats the press, and Demary fouls Cadeau near midcourt. That’s five. He’s out.
Good defense from Michigan, and Ball has to launch a long 3-point effort. Karaban gets the rebound. Then Reed with the rebound, and Cadeau fouls. Reeds hits both.
58-65, 1:07
UConn 56-65 Michigan, 1:49 left, second half: UConn just won’t fold. Karaban takes a long 3-pointer. Good. Lead is six.
Reed with the steal! He saves it for Ball, but he misses. Go the other way – McKenney for 3!
Michigan timeout. The score is a palindrome again.
UConn 53-62 Michigan, 2:45 left, second half: Michigan in the bonus, so Cadeau will shoot. Makes both, of course.
UConn 53-60 Michigan, 2:45 left, second half: Patient possession for Michigan, but it ends with McKenney shooting an impossible shot. Airball, Karaban claims it.
Mullins runs into Cadeau. Michigan ball.
Foul on Demary. His fourth.
UConn 53-60 Michigan, 3:48 left, second half: The next 3:48 of playing time will feel like an eternity for Michigan fans.
Reed makes both free throws.
UConn 51-60 Michigan, 3:48 left, second half: Johnson fouls Reed on a shot in the post, and the UConn center will have two free throws after the TV timeout.
UConn free throws tonight: 6 of 10. Michigan: 19 of 20. That’s a 13-point difference, and Michigan’s lead is nine. Math.
UConn 51-60 Michigan, 4:13 left, second half: Lendeborg with the tip-in. He’s not 100% tonight, but he’s battling. Lead is 10 again.
Mullins hits a three. As I was saying …
Lendeborg drives and draws a foul. He makes both free throws. Free throws have been the difference in this game.
UConn 48-56 Michigan, 5:21 left, second half: Ball has re-entered despite having four fouls. He misses a 3-pointer. Mara tries to knock the rebound out to a teammate, but it goes to Karaban, who drives and is fouled. The senior misses both free throws. Reed gets the offensive rebound, though. Demary misses, and Lendeborg scores at the other end to push the lead to 11 again.
Did I say Mullins would start making shots? He hits a 3-pointer. UConn calls timeout.
ESPN’s win predictor got to 96.6% after the Lendeborg hoop.
UConn 45-54 Michigan, 6:30 left, second half: Lendeborg is finally out of the game and very frustrated.
Reed makes a nice post move on Mara, then airballs his shot.
McKenney drives and is fouled. The freshman has been much better in the second half than the first. He makes both free throws, and the score is now a palindrome.
UConn 45-52 Michigan, 6:47 left, second half: Mullins is 2 of 14. He’ll probably make his next 10 now.
Foul on Mara, but not a shooting foul. UConn to inbounds.
Basketball rule change idea – reinstate the old trapezoidal free-throw lane that used to be commonplace in international basketball. You can still the old rectangle for position on free throws, but limit players to three seconds in that trapezoid. These battles under the basket are gruesome.
Karaban misses, the ball goes out, and we have a TV timeout. Phew!
UConn 45-52 Michigan, 7:31 left, second half: Oh boy – how to describe this?
Lendeborg misses a 3-pointer. UConn races the other way, but Lendeborg knocks the shot away. Ross misses a follow. There are at least 8 people packed within a couple of feet of the basket, but one of them is NOT Mara, so Michigan tosses an outlet pass to the giant center. He has three guys draped on him and somehow none get called for a foul.
Sometime later, Johnson scores again. Mullins has another shot blocked. Karaban scores. Lendeborg misses a three. Demary makes a layup to cut the lead to five. Gayle misses a layup – Karaban block. Karaban then turns it over, and Gayle tosses the alley-oop to Mara.
UConn 41-48 Michigan, 10:02 left, second half: Reed scores in the post against Johnson.
Cadeau drives again, but this isn’t the best decision. He misses as bodies hit the floor.
Mullins misses a three. Johnson gets the rebound, but Demary grabs the ball as well. Johnson hangs on like a running back avoiding the strip, and Demary pulls until they both fall into an official and over the baseline. Everyone’s OK. Held ball, Michigan possession.
UConn 39-48 Michigan, 11:33 left, second half: Another UConn miss, another UConn offensive rebound, and it’s both a foul and an impressive block for Michigan. Ross goes to the line and makes two.
Good defensive by UConn, and Cadeau has to drive. His shot is blocked.
Ross shoots a 3. Miss, rebound Michigan, and it’s a 2-on-1 break. Tschetter makes the wrong choice, shooting rather than passing, and now UConn is on the break. Johnson blocks a shot from Mullins, and that’ll take us to the TV timeout.
Can Michigan gain some control over the pace of this game? The wilder it is, the more likely UConn can rally.
UConn 37-48 Michigan, 12:47 left, second half: Cadeau fakes a pass, then sinks the first Michigan 3-pointer of the night. Hurley has to call timeout. This is getting away from UConn. But they rallied against Duke …
UConn 37-45 Michigan, 13:00 left, second half: Now Michigan is in shot clock trouble. McKenney has it, and he finally gets a shot to go.
Mullins is lefts alone in the corner but somehow misses.
UConn gets multiple rebounds, and Karaban scores.
Cadeau drives and scores. He has been brilliant aside from that rushed shot.
UConn 35-41 Michigan, 14:34 left, second half: Free throw made, and Michigan leads by eight.
Michigan’s press forces a turnover a midcourt.
Cadeau shoots far too quickly, and the rebound comes way out. Smith darts down the court to score.
ESPN’s win predictor is now at 88.2% Michigan. I’ll say 60%. It’s basketball. A lead can go from eight points to two in a matter of seconds.
UConn 33-40 Michigan, 15:16 left, second half: Gayle commits a foul very far away from the basket.
Steal by Michigan, and Cadeau is off to the races again. He misses this one, and a tip-in is also missed.
Karaban tries to score in the paint, but it’s emphatically knocked away. He then misses a three, but Mullins sneaks in to clean up.
Lendeborg gets the ball in the paint the other way and puts up a shot. He’s fouled. The ball bounces around on the rim and falls through. He’ll have a free throw after the TV timeout.
UConn 31-38 Michigan, 16:20 left, second half: Mullins misses a contested three.
Cadeau drives and is practically wrapped up by Ball, but he still manages to get the layup up and in. Count the basket, and Ball has four fouls. Cadeau hits the free throw.
UConn 31-35 Michigan, 16:48 left, second half: Yet another missed 3-pointer for Michigan.
Mara breaks up a pass at the other end.
Demary fouls Johnson.
Alley-oop attempt to Johnson clanks away.
Ball misses a three.
Mara again launches a fast break, but the layup is missed.
I really want to hit “post” on this, but everything’s happening too quickly.
Steal by Burnett. Then he loses it out of bounds.
UConn 31-35 Michigan, 18:30 left, second half: Ball misses a three. Mara gets the rebound and throws it the length of the court to Burnett. Ball fouls him – that’s Ball’s third foul. Mara passes exceptionally well for a big guy. Burnett hits both free throws.
Reed scores off his seventh rebound of the game to answer for UConn.
Just as I praise Mara’s hands, he loses the ball in the post.
UConn 29-33 Michigan, 19:55 left, second half: We have tipoff.