Monday, the Michigan Wolverines defeated University of Connecticut (UConn) 69-63 to win their second national championship in school history. The win capped off a historic season for the Wolverines.
Michigan was dominant throughout the season, beating teams by an average of 17.8 points per game. They kicked off this dominance back in November, at the Players Era Festival. They beat quality teams such as Auburn and San Diego State by 30 points each, and finished the tournament with an emphatic 40-point victory over 12th-ranked Gonzaga. The Wolverines carried this momentum through the rest of the season, only dropping 2 games in the regular season and losing in the Big Ten championship game.
Despite entering the NCAA tournament off a loss in the Big Ten championship, Michigan started the tournament hot. They became the first team ever to score at least 90 points in five consecutive NCAA tournament games. Michigan won those five games leading up to the national championship dominantly, winning each by double digits.
In the national championship game, both teams struggled shooting from three, only making a combined 23% of their three-point attempts. This kept the game low scoring, something Michigan hadn’t been used to up to that point in the tournament. Because of this, Michigan relied on its supersized lineup featuring Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr and Aday Mara to help carry them defensively. And they did, each recording at least one block and altering many more shots.
“…they just made it so tough on us around the rim… They changed so many shots around the rim. They’re just so tall,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said in the post-game press conference.
Michigan built its supersized lineup through the transfer portal, helping them become the first team in NCAA tournament history to start a lineup of all transfers and win the national championship.
The Wolverines landed the top-ranked player in the transfer portal in Yaxel Lendeborg exactly a year and a day before he suited up to play for them in the national championship the following year. Lendeborg was as advertised, earning Big 10 Player of the Year and first team All-American honors this year. Despite a season filled with impressive performances and accolades, in the national championship game, Lendeborg was unable to lead his team the same way he had all season. In Michigan’s semifinal game against Arizona, Lendeborg sprained his left MCL and rolled his left ankle. Just two days later, he fought through injury pain to help the Wolverines defeat UConn in the national championship game.
“I feel awful. I feel super weak right now.” Lendeborg said at halftime of the game.
Michigan’s 1989 national championship team also faced hurdles on its way to a national championship. The biggest challenge they faced was the departure of their head coach just days before March Madness began. The Wolverines head coach, Bill Frieder, announced that he was leaving Michigan after the season to become the head coach for Arizona State. Though Frieder could have continued coaching the team, Michigan athletic director Bo Schembechler believed that a “Michigan Man” should coach the team, and promoted assistant coach Steve Fisher to be the team’s head coach for the tournament. Despite this sudden change in leadership, Michigan persevered to eventually beat Seton Hall in the title game.
Similar to how Lendeborg led this year’s Michigan team, the Wolverines were led by another star forward during that 1989 season. Glen Rice averaged over 25 points per game that season and set the NCAA tournament record for most points in a single tournament with 184 points, including 31 in the championship game.
Though this year’s Michigan team became the first to score 90+ points in all five games leading up to the title game, the 1989 team got close to achieving this as well, scoring over 90 points in their first four games.
Another similarity between the two teams came in their respective national championship games. In both games, free throws were key to victory. This year, Michigan got to the free-throw line often, making 25 free throws and shooting them at a highly efficient 89%. The 1989 team shot an almost identical 88% from the free-throw line, including two clutch, ultimately game-winning free throws from Rumeal Robinson.
This year’s Michigan championship roster shares similarities with the 1989 title team, yet their dominance throughout the season sets them apart as one of the best college basketball teams in recent memory. Their success shows that in the ever-changing landscape of college basketball, transfer-heavy, supersized lineups are a winning formula. The Wolverines will celebrate their first championship in 37 years with a parade in Ann Arbor this Saturday.
