Michigan lifted Big Ten with its defense in NCAA title game win

The Michigan Wolverines capped a fantastic season with a title game win against a UConn team that has run college basketball the last few years. Michigan is now here to stay, and with Dusty May, there could be even more success in the future.

Here are how my bold predictions for Michigan versus UConn played out:

Aday Mara will hold Tarris Reed Jr. in check

"Tarris Reed was extremely effective vs Illinois, and he was a big factor for UConn in their win. Against Michigan, I do not think he will have the same success. Aday Mara was the star of the game vs Arizona. Mara had 26 points and 9 rebounds in that matchup. Mara will challenge Reed Jr. on defense and give him fits when he is on offense. If Mara can post a similar outing, Michigan can take one of the things UConn does best away from them. I expect Mara to have a great game and help lead Michigan to a title win."

Tarris Reed Jr. was held in check by his standards. He wasn't as dominant as he was vs Duke or Michigan State. Reed Jr. had 13 points and 14 rebounds, but shot 4-12 from the field.

Yaxel Lendeborg will have a 20 point outing

"Yaxel Lendeborg is all ready to go for this game, after having a scare vs Arizona. Lendeborg, before his injury, showed great star potential, posting 3 straight 20-point outings. In a game of this magnitude, he will have to shine bright. In a moment like this, I think he will rise to the occasion and drop 20 points and have double-digit rebounds. He will be the best player on the court. This game will display that he is one of the best players in the country, and he will finish the season on top with his draft stock at its highest peak."

Yaxel Lendeborg battled it out and played 36 minutes, scoring 13 points. Not his best scoring production, and he fell short of my 20-point prediction, but his going out there, leaving it all on the court, leading his team to victory, his impact was still huge as usual.

Trey Mckinney will have another good bench outing

"Trey McKinney is one of the most underrated players in the country. For the Wolverines this season, he has been a weapon off the bench. Last game vs Arizona, he shot 4-6 from 3 and had 16 points off the bench. Bench production can go a long way for teams. Vs a team that has the amount of experience UConn has in these games, you need great bench production. I think McKinney will show up and drop double-digit points again and outscore UConn's bench by himself."

The freshman struggled mightily in this game, dropping 9 points, shooting 2-9 from the field. He, however, made up for his poor shooting by crashing the glass, getting 9 rebounds, and shooting a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.

Michigan will have its first close game

"Michigan has had no problem dominating its opponents, and even the best of the best have faced the same outcome vs the Wolverines. UConn will not be a team that Michigan will walk over. Michigan is the better team, but UConn is well coached, and they have the talent to handle what Michigan can provide defensively. Not to mention the swagger and confidence UConn has. The Huskies will remain in this fight vs Michigan, and I would not be surprised if they have the lead early in this game."

Michigan was challenged for the first time since Purdue in the Big Ten title game. Michigan clearly was the better squad, but UConn, albeit not shooting great, gave them everything they could, making this game a slugfest.

Michigan will end UConn's dynasty with title win

"Michigan can take away the things that UConn does well, and they can stifle the Huskies with their defense. Just like Dan Hurley and freshman Braylon Mullins have done before, they will make things interesting in this game. What Dan Hurley has been able to do in his tenure at UConn places his name in the conversation with the best of the best. UConn is staring at 3 titles in the last 4 seasons right in the face. I think Michigan is the team to put an end to that with a huge win. Michigan has been the best team in the country all season long; vs UConn, they get their chance to put their final stamp on that. Dusty May will look to create success similar to Dan Hurley, and it starts with a title this season."

UConn was about to complete an impressive feat of 3 titles in the last 4 years, instead of Michigan as a university getting an impressive feat of multiple sports championships since 2020. The Wolverines are proving they are a winning program all across the board. With Dusty May, Michigan could be on its way to becoming the next UConn.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Revisiting Micah Huff's keys to victory for Michigan vs UConn