Michigan Wolverines vs. UConn Huskies
The Wolverines reached the Championship after a dominant, definitive victory over Arizona, while the Huskies outplayed Illinois to make the title game. The game featured a matchup between one of the best coaches in the sport, UConn’s Dan Hurley, against the most dominant team in the tournament, Michigan, led by Dusty May.
The game was extremely tight in the first half, going back and forth. UConn held a small lead on and off through most of the first half, but Michigan took control to head into halftime with a 33-29 lead.
The Huskies would be in foul trouble throughout the game, but it really started to hurt them in the second half, as both Silas Demary and Solo Ball battled with fouls. Michigan jumped out ahead early in the second half, with the lead getting as big as eleven points. As the time remaining dipped below two minutes, the Wolverines had a nine-point lead. UConn cut it to four and got the ball back with 27 seconds left, but they were unable to score. Michigan would hold on and win the game 69-63.
The win for Michigan was their second in program history, and first since 1989. It marks an end to a dominant season for the Wolverines, and one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory. They can finally put their “Fab Five” misfortunes from 1992-93 behind them. The Wolverines, like much of the rest of college basketball, will have to replace much of their roster in the transfer portal.
Offseason Preview
We will write about the results of the transfer portal this year in a few weeks. It officially opened up on April 7th and will close on April 21st, after which point no player can enter the portal.
Some big-name players set to enter the transfer portal include Flory Dibunga from Kansas, John Blackwell from Wisconsin, and Rob Wright III from BYU. These are just a few of the many big names who have entered the portal, and it looks like this year will be just as crazy as last year.
Some teams that have begun to make a name for themselves relying on the transfer portal will be looking for complete roster makeovers, including Michigan, St John’s, Kentucky, and Kansas, just to name a few, who will be active.
As things stand right now, early favorites for next season include Duke, Michigan, Florida, and UConn.
There will likely be many changes to head coaching jobs as the offseason continues. The first high-profile coaching change is North Carolina hiring former NBA coach Michael Malone. Look for more of these to come in the following weeks, as some coaches could be on the hot seat.
