Five reasons Michigan will beat UConn in the national championship

UConn, meanwhile, hasn’t topped 82 points scored in a game during the tournament. It has also won two games by double digits. 

2. Who will defend Aday Mara? 

Michigan starting center Mara is listed at 7-foot-3, 255 pounds. He’s a gentle giant. 

“I fell in love with him as a person,” Michigan head coach Dusty May has said of UCLA Bruins transfer Mara, via CNN’s Dana O’Neil. “It was just the way he makes people feel when he’s around them. It’s impossible not to feel better about yourself because of how engaging he is, how warm he is. And he really, really cares about other people.”

On the court, however, stopping Mara is more like defending a grizzly bear than a teddy bear. In the tournament, the Spanish big man has averaged 16 points per game while shooting 65.4 percent from the field and logged 2.6 blocks per game. Against Arizona, he scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. 

Mara should be in for another big performance against the Huskies. UConn’s tallest players are centers Eric Reibe (7-foot-1, 260 pounds) and Rrezon Elezaj (7-foot-1, 225 pounds), but neither is a major contributor. Reibe has averaged just seven minutes per game in March Madness, while Elezaj has remained on the bench. 

3. Depth beyond Yaxel Lendeborg

Against Arizona, senior forward Lendeborg suffered a left ankle/knee injury, which forced him to miss most of the first half. He returned in the second half, finishing with 11 points and three rebounds. 

“I’m going to do a lot of work on it, and I’m playing on Monday for sure, no matter what goes on,” Lendeborg said in a postgame interview with CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. 

Even if Lendeborg — who leads the team in scoring (15.1 PPG) — isn’t 100 percent, the Wolverines have others who can step up against UConn. That includes freshman guard Trey McKenney, who scored 16 points against Arizona. Over his past three games, he has averaged 15 PPG. 

4. UConn guard Solo Ball’s injury may worsen shooting woes

On Sunday morning, UConn head coach Dan Hurley revealed Ball, who earned a second-team All-Big East nod this season, sprained his left foot in a 71-62 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday. 

“I’m doing everything I can to prepare for tomorrow,” Ball said, per Nancy Armour of USA Today. 

The injury may exacerbate the guard’s struggles in the Big Dance. In six games in the NCAA Tournament, Ball has logged 8.8 PPG on a subpar 31.9 percent shooting from the field. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder regained some rhythm in the win over Illinois, scoring 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. 

5. Coaches in their first national championship have fared well recently

May, who’s in his second season with Michigan, is making his first appearance in the national championship on Monday. He led the Florida Atlantic Owls to the Final Four in 2023 but lost to the San Diego State Aztecs 72-71. 

One would think two-time national champion Hurley would hold a clear edge over May, but that may not be the case. Since 2019, three coaches who have made their first appearance in the title game have won it (former Virginia Cavaliers HC Tony Bennett, Baylor Bears HC Scott Drew and Hurley). Just as importantly for Michigan, May doesn’t seem intimidated by UConn. 

“They have championship DNA. What they’ve done over the last four years is as impressive as anything we’ve seen in recent memory. And we’ve got our hands full on Monday, but these guys are up for the challenge,” May said following the win over Arizona.