ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan 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 the trophy. “You were there every step of the way.”
May and his players stood atop the Junge Family Champions center, a multi-use event space between Michigan Stadium and the arena, and looked out over a crowd of maize and blue.
Michigan held off UConn 69-63 in Monday night's title game, an effort buoyed 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. scored 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Wolverines' leading scorer this season, Yaxel Lendeborg, had 13 points and two rebounds.
“You guys are amazing,” Lendeborg told the crowd Tuesday before leading a rendition of Michigan's fight song. “You made this season very, very special for me… Go blue, baby!”
Michigan's offense made NCAA tournament history as the first team to score more than 90 points in five straight games, but it was the Wolverines' defense that paved the way Monday night. Michigan held UConn to 31% shooting from the field and 27% shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.
6-foot-8 forward Alex Karaban, in his final game with 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, earning all 57 votes.
