ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan’s men’s basketball team returned to campus as national champions Tuesday, and coach Dusty May told dozens of fans who greeted them at the Crisler Center that “this trophy is yours.”
“You brought it all year, every home game,” he said, resting his hand on top of the trophy. “You guys were there every step of the way.”
May and his players stood atop the Junge Family Champions center, a multipurpose events space between Michigan Stadium and the arena, and overlooked a crowd of maize and blue.
Michigan held off UConn 69-63 in Monday night’s title game, an effort powered by its all-transfer starting lineup. Point guard Elliot Cadeau, named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, led Michigan with 19 points. Morez Johnson Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wolverine’s leading scorer, Yaxel Lendeborg, had 13 points and two rebounds.
“You guys are amazing,” Lendeborg told the crowd on Tuesday before leading a rendition of the Michigan fight song. “You made this season very, very special for me. … Go Blue, baby!”
Michigan’s offense made history in the NCAA tournament as the first team to score 90-plus points in five consecutive games, but it was the Wolverines’ defense that paved the way on Monday night. Michigan held UConn to 31% shooting from the field and 27% shooting beyond the three-point arc.
6-foot-8 forward Alex Karaban, in his final game for the Huskies, played all 40 minutes and had 11 rebounds and a team-high 17 points.
Michigan finished the season as the No. 1 seed in the final AP Top 25 poll on Tuesday, claiming all 57 votes.
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