THE 2026 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Wolverines Demolish Arizona 91-73 | Huskies Outlast Illinois 71-62 in Thrilling Final Four
FINAL FOUR RESULTS — APRIL 4, 2026
| TEAM (SEED) | SCORE | SCORE | TEAM (SEED) | |
| #2 UConn Huskies | 71 | vs | 62 | #3 Illinois Fighting Illini |
| #1 Michigan Wolverines | 91 | vs | 73 | #1 Arizona Wildcats |
Championship Game: Monday, April 6, 2026 | 8:50 PM ET | TBS
INDIANAPOLIS, who won the ncaa basketball championship in 2026 — The lights are brightest at Lucas Oil Stadium, and on the night of April 4, 2026, they shone on two programs who reminded college basketball why dynasty is not a dirty word. The No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines and No. 2 seed UConn Huskies emerged from a spectacular Final Four to set up a Monday night national championship showdown that the sport has been waiting for all season.
Michigan obliterated fellow No. 1 seed Arizona 91-73 in a game that was never close after the opening tip, while UConn gutted out a grittier 71-62 victory over No. 3 seed Illinois in a contest that had the packed house at Lucas Oil on the edge of its seats deep into the second half.
More than 70,000 fans filled Lucas Oil Stadium to witness one of the most anticipated Final Fours in recent memory — four top-three seeds, four programs with legitimate championship pedigrees, and a stage that delivered exactly what the sport promised. By the end of the night, however, it was clear that Michigan and UConn are operating on a different level than everyone else left in the field.
MICHIGAN 91, ARIZONA 73: A STATEMENT FOR THE AGES
If there was any doubt that the Michigan Wolverines are the most complete team in college basketball, Saturday night erased it permanently. Head coach Dusty May’s program, which went 8-24 just two seasons ago, put on the most stunning performance in this tournament’s second weekend, turning what was billed as an epic battle of frontcourts into a thorough, almost methodical dismantling of the nation’s other premier program.
This was Michigan’s fifth game this tournament with 90 or more points — an all-time single NCAA Tournament record — and Arizona, despite its own formidable frontcourt featuring projected lottery picks Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas, never had an answer. The Wolverines led 48-32 at halftime and pushed their advantage as high as 30 points in the second half, never allowing the Wildcats to get closer than 17 after the break.
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Aday Mara Puts on a Virtuoso Performance
The story who won the ncaa basketball championship in 2026, of the night was Michigan center Aday Mara, who delivered one of the great Final Four performances in recent history. The sophomore finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor, adding nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in a performance that announced his arrival on the national stage in emphatic fashion. Mara’s efficiency — 68.8% from the field — was a nightmare matchup for an Arizona defense that had no answer for his combination of size, touch, and footwork around the basket.
Mara was complemented by an outstanding supporting cast. Guard Trey McKenney came alive in the second half, finishing with 16 points on a blistering 66.7% from the field including four three-pointers, his 88.9% effective field goal percentage one of the most efficient shooting performances of the tournament. Forward Morez Johnson Jr. chipped in 10 points with seven rebounds and four assists, while the bench contributed a remarkable 25 points — an extraordinary output for a game of this magnitude.
MICHIGAN KEY PERFORMERS vs. ARIZONA
| PLAYER | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PM-3PA | PLS/MIN |
| Aday Mara | 26 | 9 | 3 | 68.8% | 0-1 | +12 |
| Trey McKenney | 16 | 3 | 1 | 66.7% | 4-6 | +21 |
| Morez Johnson Jr. | 10 | 7 | 4 | 42.9% | 0-2 | +8 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | 11 | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3-3 | +14 |
| Nimari Burnett | 6 | 4 | 1 | 40.0% | 1-3 | -2 |
Lendeborg Scare Grips Wolverines
The one cloud hanging over Michigan’s dominant performance was a first-half ankle injury to All-American forward Yaxel Lendeborg, the Big Ten Player of the Year and one of the most unique players in the country. Lendeborg went down awkwardly on a drive to the rim in the opening half — injuring the same left ankle that had troubled him during the Big Ten tournament — and went straight to the locker room after sinking two free throws. Despite the 6-foot-9 senior’s absence in the opening period, Michigan continued to pour it on, shooting 41% from the field and maintaining a commanding 48-32 halftime lead.
Lendeborg returned in the second half, logging nine minutes, and even contributed a pair of three-pointers. But he was noticeably moving gingerly, and his availability and health for Monday’s national championship game will be the dominant storyline leading into tip-off. Remarkably, even without Lendeborg at full strength, the Wolverines continued to punish Arizona. It was a testament to the depth May has assembled — and a frightening omen for UConn.
Michigan shot 47.8% from the field for the game and an extraordinary 44.4% from three-point range, making 12 of 27 attempts. Their 22 assists against just 13 turnovers illustrated the unselfishness of a team that doesn’t have one single star — it has an entire constellation of them. The Wolverines’ bench outscored Arizona’s bench 25-14, providing the sort of depth that wears opponents down over the course of a tournament.
UCONN 71, ILLINOIS 62: DYNASTY PRESERVED
If Michigan’s win was a coronation, UConn’s victory over Illinois was a war. The Huskies, playing in their third national championship game in four seasons under coach Dan Hurley, needed every ounce of their tournament experience and championship DNA to survive a relentless Illinois team that refused to die until Braylon Mullins delivered one final, dagger three-pointer to seal the win.
Illinois, the No. 3 seed out of the Big Ten, made this anything but easy. The Fighting Illini — in search of their first-ever national championship under coach Brad Underwood — went on multiple runs in the second half that had the UConn faithful in Lucas Oil Stadium holding their breath. At one point, trailing by just four with 6:08 remaining after an 8-0 Illinois run, the Illini appeared on the verge of completing one of the great comebacks in Final Four history. But UConn’s Huskies have been here before, and their poise in crunch time ultimately proved the difference.
Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins Lead the Way
UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. was the engine of the Huskies’ offense throughout, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding 11 rebounds — a double-double — and drawing five fouls. Reed’s dominance in the first half set the tone, as the Huskies built their 37-29 halftime advantage on the back of his relentless interior presence. He was surrounded by the kind of team basketball that has come to define the Hurley era at Storrs.
But no player defined the night more than Braylon Mullins, the guard who has emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest stars. Mullins finished with 15 points, including four three-pointers, and it was his late dagger from beyond the arc that sent UConn to the championship game. Just days earlier, it was Mullins who had sent the Huskies past Duke and into the Final Four with a similar heroic shot. The Connecticut native has become the embodiment of this program’s never-flinching identity.
UCONN KEY PERFORMERS vs. ILLINOIS
| PLAYER | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PM-3PA | PLS/MIN |
| Tarris Reed Jr. | 17 | 11 | 0 | 50.0% | 0-0 | +13 |
| Braylon Mullins | 15 | 3 | 0 | 35.7% | 4-7 | +8 |
| Solo Ball | 13 | 0 | 2 | 45.5% | 3-7 | +20 |
| Alex Karaban | 9 | 4 | 4 | 12.5% | 1-7 | +13 |
| Silas Demary Jr. | 7 | 9 | 7 | 25.0% | 1-6 | +10 |
Illinois’ European Frontcourt Couldn’t Quite Pull It Off
Illinois coach Brad Underwood’s team made history this season by building one of the nation’s elite frontcourts through European recruiting, a bold strategy that paid off handsomely through the regular season and into the tournament. Guard Keaton Wagler led Illinois with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting and eight rebounds, proving why he has emerged as one of college basketball’s most underrated stars. Center Tomislav Ivisic contributed 16 points and seven rebounds, while forward Andrej Stojakovic added nine points and eight boards.
But Illinois committed eight turnovers — four more than UConn — and shot just 23.1% from three on 26 attempts. The Illini’s greatest advantage came at the free throw line, where they made 18 of 23 attempts compared to UConn’s 15-for-17. They controlled the glass, pulling down 44 rebounds to UConn’s 37, and their bench provided 12 points. In the end, it was UConn’s three-point shooting — 12 made threes to Illinois’ six — that made the decisive difference in this game.
The Illini made it a game until Mullins silenced them with his signature shot. Illinois had never won in the NCAA Tournament when trailing by 8 or more points at halftime, and despite bringing that deficit back to four points, they ultimately could not complete the comeback. Their season ends one step short of history, but Underwood has transformed this program into a Final Four caliber contender that will be back.
MONDAY NIGHT: MICHIGAN vs. UCONN FOR ALL THE MARBLES
The national championship game on Monday, April 6, tips off at 8:50 PM ET on TBS, and it features two programs on opposite ends of fascinating arcs. Michigan is chasing its first national title since 1989 — a 37-year drought that this current team, this current roster, has an opportunity to end. UConn is chasing its third title in four seasons, a feat that has not been accomplished since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty won 10 championships in 12 years.
For coach Dan Hurley, who has worn the same navy suit throughout this tournament and whose various pregame rituals — burning sage, spritzing courts with what fans have called ‘holy water,’ and reportedly eating exactly eight M&Ms while avoiding the colors of his opponent — have become the stuff of internet legend, Monday is an opportunity to cement his legacy as one of the great coaches in the sport’s history. His record of 17-3 in the NCAA Tournament at UConn is already staggering. A third title would put him in a conversation with the sport’s all-time greats.
KEY MATCHUP FACTORS
| #1 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES | #2 UCONN HUSKIES |
| Key Strength: Frontcourt depth & scoring pace | Key Strength: Tournament experience & execution |
| Key Weapon: Aday Mara (26 pts vs. AZ) | Key Weapon: Tarris Reed Jr. + Braylon Mullins |
| Concern: Lendeborg ankle health | Concern: Slowing Michigan’s pace of play |
| Tournament Record: 5-0 (avg. 91 pts/game) | Tournament Record: 4-0 (6-0 in Final Fours/Finals) |
| Tempo: 22nd fastest in nation | Tempo: 319th slowest in nation |
The Tempo Battle: Fast vs. Slow
The central strategic conflict of the national championship game is as stark as it gets: Michigan plays at the 22nd fastest tempo in the nation, while UConn operates at the 319th slowest. The Wolverines want to push the ball in transition, get their big men running the floor, and use their size and athleticism advantage in open court situations — exactly what destroyed Arizona on Saturday when Michigan built a 26-10 lead in just the first ten minutes. Two of Michigan’s three losses this season came in games played with 63 or fewer possessions, nearly eight below their average, suggesting that if UConn can slow this game to a crawl, the Wolverines become a different, more beatable team.
For UConn to win, the Huskies must control the tempo and force Michigan into halfcourt basketball. Hurley’s teams have done this successfully throughout the tournament, and their patience and poise have been hallmarks of their championship runs. But Arizona had no answer for Michigan’s pace Saturday, and the Wolverines’ big men — particularly Mara, Johnson, and a hopefully healthy Lendeborg — can punish teams in transition in ways that UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. simply cannot stop by himself.
UConn’s Championship Pedigree
UConn’s tournament history since 2011 is extraordinary: the Huskies have won 18 consecutive games played in the second weekend or later of the NCAA Tournament. They are 6-0 in national championship game appearances — 6-0! — and 12-1 all-time in the national semifinals and finals combined. This is a program that does not lose when the stage is at its biggest. That experience, that championship DNA, that ability to execute when execution matters most — it is the most powerful asset in college basketball, and it belongs to UConn.
But Michigan is not a program that plays small in the moment, either. Coach Dusty May has built something in Ann Arbor that no one anticipated this quickly, and the Wolverines carry none of the pressure of protecting a dynasty. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. First national title since 1989. The chance to validate one of the great two-year rebuilds in college basketball history. A chance for players like Mara, Lendeborg, and McKenney to etch their names into Wolverines lore forever.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: TOURNAMENT PATHS
UCONN HUSKIES — Tournament Path to the Title Game
Round of 64: vs. #15 Furman W 82-71
Round of 32: vs. #7 UCLA W 73-57
Sweet 16: vs. #3 Michigan State W 67-63
Elite Eight: vs. #1 Duke W 73-72
Final Four: vs. #3 Illinois W 71-62
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES — Tournament Path to the Title Game
Round of 64: vs. #16 Seed W
Round of 32: vs. Opponent W
Sweet 16: vs. Opponent W
Elite Eight: vs. #2 Tennessee W (Most Complete Game of Tournament)
Final Four: vs. #1 Arizona W 91-73
THE BOTTOM LINE
College basketball has delivered on every promise of the 2026 March Madness. We have a national championship game between two programs that represent everything great about the sport: one a dynasty on the verge of an unprecedented achievement, the other a Cinderella story that stopped feeling like a Cinderella story about 30 games ago. Michigan vs. UConn is the game we deserve.
For the Wolverines, Monday is a chance to rewrite history and give their fans their first national championship in 37 years. For the Huskies, it is a chance to do something that has not been done since UCLA’s legendary run — and to prove that Dan Hurley is one of the greatest coaches of his generation. Tip-off is Monday, April 6 at 8:50 PM ET on TBS. Do not miss it.
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