INDIANAPOLIS — The Michigan Wolverines have been the best team in men’s college basketball all season. The UConn Huskies have been the sport’s main character from the moment they hired Dan Hurley, and he has two national championship rings to prove it. The 2026 national championship game is going to be a stunner, but only one team can cut down the nets on Monday night.
Michigan has been throttling teams all year, but it saved its best performance of the season for its Final Four rout of Arizona. In a matchup of the top-2 teams on KenPom’s rankings, the Wolverines flexed their power even while superstar forward Yaxel Lendeborg was limited to only five minutes in the first half with foul trouble and injury. Arizona only had two losses on its resume entering the night, and had not trailed by more than 12 points this season. Michigan was still up 18 going into halftime, and it was a blowout from there.
UConn looked like it might make an early tournament exit after losing its regular season finale to a bad Marquette team, then getting crushed by 20 points by St. John’s in the Big East tournament championship game. Dan Hurley turned it on once the NCAA tournament started, and Braylon Mullins’ miracle three to stun Duke in the Elite Eight saved the season. The Final Four win against Illinois was more proof he’s the best postseason coach in all of sports.
Hurley picked apart Illinois size by running shooters off screens all night, and letting the Illini big men fire away from three. UConn looked like a team that was used to playing games in a football stadium in their third Final Four appearance in the last four years. Maybe the sightlines messed with the Illini, or maybe it was just a cold shooting night, but the Huskies got every bounce they needed while Brad Underwood’s team couldn’t buy a bucket.
Hurley and UConn are going for three national championships in four years. Michigan wants to solidify its place as one of the most dominant college teams in recent memory. Who has the edge?
How UConn can win the 2026 national championship
The Huskies have the best coaching staff in America. Hurley is so good that he turned down $70 million to coach the Los Angeles Lakers and it doesn’t even seem like a regrettable move. Top assistant Luke Murray is a schematic genius, and he’ll be Boston College’s head coach after Monday night. Kimani Young is another elite assistant who has been with Hurley throughout this run.
UConn’s offense is hard to prepare for because no one plays like them. The Huskies finished in the 100th percentile of off-screen play types, and also mix in a whirling combination of back-cuts and dribble-handoffs. Hurley won a national championship with Jordan Hawkins running off those screens to hit shots. Then he did it with Cam Spencer. Now Braylon Mullins is his latest gunner. It doesn’t matter who is in the role, the offense produces great shots and Hurley recruits players who can hit them.
Alex Karaban has been Hurley’s rock the entire time. He was a freshman starter on the 2023 national champions led by Andre Jackson and Adama Sanogo, and then he was next to Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan on the 2024 championship run. Hurley tried to make Karaban the focal point last season, and it wasn’t the right fit as the team was eliminated in the round of 32 by eventual champ Florida. Karaban is back playing his old role this year, and UConn has returned to being a postseason monster.
The Huskies upgraded at point guard over the offseason by bringing in Silas Demary, a fierce point of attack defender who also makes 39 percent of his threes. Demary helped tighten up the ball pressure, and the defense suddenly took off, going from No. 75 last season to No. 8 this year.
Tarris Reed has been the team’s best player, and one of the very best in this NCAA tournament. He uses his strength and 7’5 wingspan to eat inside. He gets UConn so many second chances on the offensive glass, and he’s become really good at challenging shots at the rim without fouling. Reed started his career at Michigan, and winning on Monday night would be the ultimate validation for him.
Michigan could have trouble getting over UConn’s maze of screens with such a big lineup. The Huskies hold opponents to 30.1 percent shooting from three on the year. If the Wolverines are cold from deep and the game is close late, Hurley will have a chance to work his late game magic again.
Why Michigan will win the 2026 national championship
Michigan showed it had a chance to be an all-time great college team in November at the Players Era Fest when it blasted San Diego State by 40, Auburn by 30, and Gonzaga by 40. From that point on, the national championship race has been running through the Wolverines.
Arizona felt like one of the few teams with the talent to actually have a chance against Michigan. The game was only competitive for a few minutes despite the Wolverines’ three best players all getting in early foul trouble. It didn’t matter. Michigan showed its more than just Lendeborg’s team with an incredible team effort that showed off the full extent of their might. Elliot Cadeau dominated with his speed and playmaking despite a cold shooting night. Aday Mara proved you can’t teach 7’3 with a 7’7 wingspan by dominating the rim at both ends. Morez Johnson is all heart, hustle, and muscle — which is a cliche way to describe college basketball’s best and most versatile defender. Freshman Trey McKenney ripped the nets from three, Roddy Gayle uncorked a huge dunk or two. Arizona had been a steamroller all year, and this time they were the team that got steamrolled.
Michigan is uniquely equipped to defend Tarris Reed. It can match his strength with Johnson, and let Mara roam off the ball as a help-side shot blocker. It could also let Mara try to smother him with length. The Wolverines should have the advantage on the glass, and they will almost certainly draw more free throws. Demary could give Cadeau some trouble, but as long as he plays within himself, Michigan should win comfortably.
Michigan’s transition game is so hard to stop with Mara has the trigger man on outlet passes. Cadeau’s passing vision is second to none, and even a hobbled Lendeborg looked pretty great in the second half against Arizona.
Lendeborg’s injury is an issue if he doesn’t heal quickly. Michigan also showed it doesn’t really need him to roll a great team.
It’s been Michigan’s year all season long. It will lock it in on Monday night.
Prediction: Michigan 91, UConn 79
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![Caitlin Clark’s fourth quarter heroics nearly lead Fever to win INDIANAPOLIS — For three quarters of Friday’s game against the Mystics, Caitlin Clark could hardly hit a shot. In the fourth quarter, she could hardly miss.Clark scored 17 of her 32 points, including five 3-pointers, in a wild final frame of regulation and dragged the Fever back into a game against the Mystics they looked set to lose. Her fifth 3-pointer was the biggest of the night as it forced overtime in the waning seconds.Even though Clark’s heroics would not be enough as the Fever fell to Washington in the extra session in one of the best finishes of the young WNBA season, it still highlighted just how quickly things can change with Clark on the floor.“I felt like I could have made another like five [threes],” Clark said postgame. “They’re all like right there and, obviously, it’s great to break through and get some to go down.”Clark hit a pair of threes on successive possessions midway through the first quarter. As it would turn out, those would be her only two makes through the first three periods.Clark was an ice cold 2-15 from the field and 2-7 from three heading into the fourth, mirroring the Fever’s offensive struggles as team as they were shooting just 32.8% from the field in that span.But back-to-back threes from Clark in the first 90 seconds of the fourth were a precursor of what was to come in the final 10 minutes.Clark scored or assisted on 11 of the first 12 points of the period. The only point she didn’t directly create was a Monique Billings free throw…which came on a foul after a Clark pass. She would go on to assist or score on 18 of the first 21 points for the Fever as they pulled themselves back into the game.Her third three gave the Fever a short-lived 70-69 lead. By the time she connected on her fourth three, the Fever trailed by four with just over 90 seconds left. That deficit grew to eight with 51 seconds left, leaving Indiana in need of a miracle.After a Myisha Hines-Allen layup, a Mystics turnover led to a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to just three. The two teams traded free throws, leaving the Fever down three with 5.1 seconds left.A great play design from Indiana head coach Stephanie White created just enough room for Clark to get off a shot as she drifted out-of-bounds. It was all the space she would need as the shot found nylon, tying the game with 1.7 seconds left.“That’s like the hardest thing as a basketball player is when you’re not making shots to really stay in it,” Clark said. “So I’m certainly proud of myself. Really, really battled.”The Fever were given one more scare in the wild fourth quarter as Sonia Citron’s half-court heave swished through the net, but it came after the buzzer, sending the sides to overtime.Unfortunately, all those heroics to force the extra session were for naught as the Mystics responded again, building a multi-possession lead in the closing minutes. Again, though, they left the door open as missed free throws and a timely 3-pointer from Lexie Hull gave Indiana a chance in the final seconds.However, a desperation shot from Mitchell fell short at the buzzer, allowing Washington to escape with a dramatic win.For the Fever, as much as they can take away from their fight in the fourth and overtime, it was the middle quarters that were the most costly. Indiana shot 10-42 in the second and third periods, including 3-19 from range.“If we don’t have three clunky quarters, we don’t force ourselves into basketball heroics,“ Clark said. ”We don’t want to play that way. Like I know it’s exciting for the crowd, but we should have had ourselves in a position, especially after the first quarter, to control this ballgame and we really didn’t.”Friday was the second time in three games the Fever have eclipsed 100 points. Ironically, they have lost both of those contests, a sign of both how great this team can be offensively and how much work they still have on the other end.“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect when we don’t consistently defend,” head coach Stephanie White said. “Again, this is on us as coaches. This is our responsibility. We’ve got to be disciplined the entire game. We’ve got to be disciplined every possession. We’re taking chances. We’re fouling shooters who are about to shoot tough shots. We’ve got breakdowns in coverages. We’ve got to find combinations of players and rotations that’s net efficiency can be good.“We can’t wait to play defense in situations where we feel good and we’re making shots. It seems like we’re making shots and everything’s flowing and we’ve got energy on the defensive end, and when we’re not, we don’t. It’s got to be the other way around. The energy has to be dictated on that end of the floor and that’s a mindset.”As dramatic and exciting as Friday’s fourth quarter was, the game as a whole highlighted where the Fever need to grow. No team wants to have to rely on “basketball heroics” to potentially win a game.But it was also a sign of just how special Clark can be and how quickly she can deliver those heroics to try to save the Fever from defeat. #Caitlin #Clarks #fourth #quarter #heroics #lead #Fever #win](https://i1.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/gettyimages-2275874262.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Caitlin Clark’s fourth quarter heroics nearly lead Fever to win INDIANAPOLIS — For three quarters of Friday’s game against the Mystics, Caitlin Clark could hardly hit a shot. In the fourth quarter, she could hardly miss.Clark scored 17 of her 32 points, including five 3-pointers, in a wild final frame of regulation and dragged the Fever back into a game against the Mystics they looked set to lose. Her fifth 3-pointer was the biggest of the night as it forced overtime in the waning seconds.Even though Clark’s heroics would not be enough as the Fever fell to Washington in the extra session in one of the best finishes of the young WNBA season, it still highlighted just how quickly things can change with Clark on the floor.“I felt like I could have made another like five [threes],” Clark said postgame. “They’re all like right there and, obviously, it’s great to break through and get some to go down.”Clark hit a pair of threes on successive possessions midway through the first quarter. As it would turn out, those would be her only two makes through the first three periods.Clark was an ice cold 2-15 from the field and 2-7 from three heading into the fourth, mirroring the Fever’s offensive struggles as team as they were shooting just 32.8% from the field in that span.But back-to-back threes from Clark in the first 90 seconds of the fourth were a precursor of what was to come in the final 10 minutes.Clark scored or assisted on 11 of the first 12 points of the period. The only point she didn’t directly create was a Monique Billings free throw…which came on a foul after a Clark pass. She would go on to assist or score on 18 of the first 21 points for the Fever as they pulled themselves back into the game.Her third three gave the Fever a short-lived 70-69 lead. By the time she connected on her fourth three, the Fever trailed by four with just over 90 seconds left. That deficit grew to eight with 51 seconds left, leaving Indiana in need of a miracle.After a Myisha Hines-Allen layup, a Mystics turnover led to a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to just three. The two teams traded free throws, leaving the Fever down three with 5.1 seconds left.A great play design from Indiana head coach Stephanie White created just enough room for Clark to get off a shot as she drifted out-of-bounds. It was all the space she would need as the shot found nylon, tying the game with 1.7 seconds left.“That’s like the hardest thing as a basketball player is when you’re not making shots to really stay in it,” Clark said. “So I’m certainly proud of myself. Really, really battled.”The Fever were given one more scare in the wild fourth quarter as Sonia Citron’s half-court heave swished through the net, but it came after the buzzer, sending the sides to overtime.Unfortunately, all those heroics to force the extra session were for naught as the Mystics responded again, building a multi-possession lead in the closing minutes. Again, though, they left the door open as missed free throws and a timely 3-pointer from Lexie Hull gave Indiana a chance in the final seconds.However, a desperation shot from Mitchell fell short at the buzzer, allowing Washington to escape with a dramatic win.For the Fever, as much as they can take away from their fight in the fourth and overtime, it was the middle quarters that were the most costly. Indiana shot 10-42 in the second and third periods, including 3-19 from range.“If we don’t have three clunky quarters, we don’t force ourselves into basketball heroics,“ Clark said. ”We don’t want to play that way. Like I know it’s exciting for the crowd, but we should have had ourselves in a position, especially after the first quarter, to control this ballgame and we really didn’t.”Friday was the second time in three games the Fever have eclipsed 100 points. Ironically, they have lost both of those contests, a sign of both how great this team can be offensively and how much work they still have on the other end.“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect when we don’t consistently defend,” head coach Stephanie White said. “Again, this is on us as coaches. This is our responsibility. We’ve got to be disciplined the entire game. We’ve got to be disciplined every possession. We’re taking chances. We’re fouling shooters who are about to shoot tough shots. We’ve got breakdowns in coverages. We’ve got to find combinations of players and rotations that’s net efficiency can be good.“We can’t wait to play defense in situations where we feel good and we’re making shots. It seems like we’re making shots and everything’s flowing and we’ve got energy on the defensive end, and when we’re not, we don’t. It’s got to be the other way around. The energy has to be dictated on that end of the floor and that’s a mindset.”As dramatic and exciting as Friday’s fourth quarter was, the game as a whole highlighted where the Fever need to grow. No team wants to have to rely on “basketball heroics” to potentially win a game.But it was also a sign of just how special Clark can be and how quickly she can deliver those heroics to try to save the Fever from defeat. #Caitlin #Clarks #fourth #quarter #heroics #lead #Fever #win")
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