All good things must come to an end.
The UConn men’s basketball team, despite being a 2-seed, was not the most perfect team in the country.
They were flawed but still managed to get to a third national championship game in four years. Even so, their weaknesses would soon be tested at the highest level.
However, that 6-0 record in title games now has a blemish, as the Huskies (34-6) fell to top-seeded Michigan (37-3), 69-63.
The Michigan team on the floor on Monday night was not the dominant force that steamrolled No.1 seed Arizona in the national semifinal, but the Wolverines overcame a 2-for-15 performance from 3-point range to win their second national title, their first since 1989.
Meanwhile, UConn needed to shoot lights out to have a chance against Michigan. Despite knocking down the game’s first five 3-pointers, all in the first half, the Huskies struggled mightily from deep in the second half.
The game felt like it was going the Huskies’ way in the first half: pacing, shooting and rebounding were all where the Huskies wanted the numbers to be. However, foul trouble was a key factor in this one.
Silas Demary Jr. fouled out; Solo Ball had four fouls before the first media timeout of the second half and Tarris Reed Jr. flirted with foul trouble with three fouls.
“The guys picking up two fouls in the first half, losing three guys when we, I thought, had a great chance of going to the locker room with the lead, really put us in a bad spot,” Hurley said.
Reed, one of the best players all tournament long, had yet another double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, but it was not as efficient from the floor (4-for-12). His college career ended with a whimper, but he turned the heads of many NBA scouts throughout the Huskies’ incredible run.
“Just looking back at the whole journey I done had, journey with these guys, I’m going to miss it,” Reed said. “I’m just blessed to be in the position I’m in today. I love these guys for life. They’re my brothers for life.”
Alex Karaban, the winningest player in program history, finished his incredible career with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double performance on 5-of-14 shooting. It was fitting that the two-time NCAA champion played all 40 minutes in his final game in UConn threads.
“I’m blessed that I’ve been able to wear this jersey for the max amount of time possible,” Karaban said, visibly emotional throughout the postgame press conference. “I came back to win and ultimately fell short. It hurts…but I’m ultimately leaving UConn in a better place.”
Braylon Mullins, who willed the Huskies to the Final Four with one of the greatest shots in NCAA Tournament history, finished the game with 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
The Wolverines, a two-possession favorite, relied on their defense to get it done, holding the Huskies to 63 points on 21-of-68 shooting, including a dismal 9-for-33 mark from perimeter.
“We lost the game because we missed,” Hurley said. “We didn’t make enough shots.”
UConn dominated the rebounding game, 46-39, but that mainly came from a streaky offense, something the Huskies were for most of the season. 22 offensive rebounds showed that Connecticut put up quite the fight.
“Your team gives you 22 offensive rebounds,” Hurley said. “That’s how hard we played.”
Yaxel Lendeborg, who sprained his MCL on Saturday, but managed to put up 13 points in 36 minutes despite going just 4-of-13 from the floor.
Elliot Cadeau was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player after a 19-point performance in 30 minutes.
Michigan now leads the all-time series, 3-2. The Big Ten has its first men’s basketball national champion since the 1999-2000 Michigan State Spartans. Both of the Wolverines’ titles came against Big East opponents (the first one was over Seton Hall in 1989).
UConn’s “Stairway to Seven” hopes ended in the final game of the season but are expected to return a backcourt core of Demary and Ball, as well as Jaylin Stewart, Eric Reibe and Jayden Ross in the frontcourt.