Michigan became the first team in college basketball history to win a National Championship with an entire starting five made up of nothing but transfers. They finish the season with a 37-3 record.
This is the first NCAA title for a Big 10 conference team since 2000, when Michigan State won it all, and the second for Michigan, with their first coming in 1989.
They were 1-6 in national title games up until tonight.
1st half recap + highlights
Michigan started strong and led for the first 10 minutes of the half, but the switch was flipped as UConn began to swing the momentum in their favor. But Michigan battled in the final few minutes, eventually heading into halftime with a 33-29 lead thanks to a Roddy Gayle Jr. put-back slam.
UConn wasn't shooting much better, hitting 5-15 3PT, and went into the half shooting 33% from the field.
Michigan put up 22 points in the paint to UConn's eight. Their largest lead of the first half was only five, while UConn's was three as both teams kept it close.
The Wolverwines struggled to hit from deep as they went a brutal 0-for-8 from three, shooting 38% from the floor. UConn racked up a total of 11 fouls in the first half alone off eight different players, on which Michigan scored 11 points on 12 free throws, including a flagrant one against Alex Karaban for hooking that put Morez Johnson Jr. on the line with 3:16 left.
Johnson led all Michigan players in both points (10) and rebounds (4) heading into the half.
After making both free throws, Michigan added another two to the board for a four-point play to take a 27-25 lead. The Wolverwines would score on the next possession to make it 29-25.
Heading into the half, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg said he felt "so weak" after playing all 20 minutes as he dealt with knee and ankle problems - he put up four points on 1-5 shooting (2-2 FT) with two personal fouls.
On the other end, Karaban played all 20 minutes for UConn, heading into halftime with eight points (2-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) and four rebounds.
2nd half recap + highlights
It didn't take long for a highlight to be made in the second half and there were way more of them to come.
Michigan's star big man Andy Mara launched a flat-footed pass across the full court to Nimari Burnett, who made both of his free throws following the foul.
To start the second half, six of nine possessions had turnovers on both ends (3-3 split). It wouldn't be until Elliott Cadaeu hit an and-1 with 16:20 to put the Wolverines up 38-31, the team's largest lead of the night at that point.
The foul came from UConn starting guard Solo Ball, who had his fourth foul of the game.
Lendeborg, who still hadn't taken a single minute on the bench, would hit an and-1 shortly after Cadeua with 15:16 left to go up 41-33.
The foul came from UConn star Terris Reed Jr., which was his third on the night as UConn got into serious foul trouble with their starters early in the second half.
Cadeau sent the Wolverine nation into a frenzy after making the first three of the night for Michigan to put them up 48-37 with 12:47 left in the game.
Michigan went 0-10 from three-point range up until that point in the game. They had previously made 10 or more three-pointers in the previous five tournament games.
Michigan started to go cold to start the final 10 minutes of the game, missing seven of their last nine shots.
But it all got wiped away when Mara slammed down an alley-oop to make it 52-45 with the assist from Gayle.
UConn would continue to struggle mightily at one point in the second half, going 0-for-11 from 3PT until Braylon Mullins finally broke the cold streak, hitting back-to-back threes that eventually cut the lead to 58-51 with under five minutes left to go.
He was 3-of-9 from deep, but 4-16 from the floor up until that point.
As Michigan was up 60-53 with 3:48 left to go, the Huskies couldn't climb back out of the hole. McKenney would drain a clutch three that put the Wolverines up by nine with 1:46 left to go after the team had already made 18 straight free throws on the night.
It was just the second three-pointer of the night for Michigan. Silas Demary Jr. fouled out for UConn with 1:07 remaining, which sent Cadeau to the line for two free throws, making it 20 straight made free throws on the night.
UConn tried to put up a fight, though. Ball would launch a prayer from deep that banked it to put the game within four, but it was all for naught in the end as Michigan won it all.
Both teams finished shooting below 40% for the game, while Michigan went 25-for-29 at the free-throw line.