The Michigan Wolverines celebrate after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the National Championship of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Monday in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
By Michael Schwarz April 7, 2026 at 2:24pm
On Monday night, the Michigan Wolverines capped off a dominant season with a 69-63 win over the Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA men’s basketball national championship game.
Meanwhile, the Huskies — a recent juggernaut in their own right — showed how honest competitors should treat one another.
A 45-second clip posted to the social media platform X showed head coach Dan Hurley and the Connecticut players waiting respectfully for the Wolverines to finish their immediate post-game celebration before shaking hands.
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports shared the clip.
“Really good moment: Dan Hurley and the entire UConn team waited for the Michigan players to come back after their immediate celebration to shake their heads and congratulate them on winning the national title,” Norlander wrote.
Really good moment: Dan Hurley and the entire UConn team waited for the Michigan players to come back after their immediate celebration to shake their heads and congratulate them on winning the national title. pic.twitter.com/pwJDeqFC47
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 7, 2026
On X, the majority of users — including some Connecticut fans — mimicked the Huskies’ sportsmanship.
This is how it’s done. Love my Huskies and they had a great season. Congrats to Michigan on winning the Championship!
— Partyless_Politics (@bipartisanburns) April 7, 2026
Hats off to a tremendous Michigan squad. No shame losing to that team. UCONN far exceeded my expectations. So proud of them and everything they accompllshed and their never-say-die attitude. Coach Hurley brought out the best in them.
— Fansini (@TheTropaion) April 7, 2026
Huge respect to Coach Hurley for this and his positive post-game comments on the officials. An all-time great coach.
— Russell (@HoosierDaddyMI) April 7, 2026
Unlike many of its recent games, Michigan had to grind out a tough victory over a formidable Connecticut squad.
The Wolverines, who had scored at least 90 points in all five of their previous NCAA Tournament games, struggled to a 33-29 halftime lead over the Huskies.
Nonetheless, Michigan held Connecticut to an ice-cold 9-of-33 shooting from three-point range. Behind 19 points from junior guard Elliot Cadeau, the Wolverines held on for the six-point win.
From start to finish in 2025-26, Michigan exhibited its dominance. In a loaded Big Ten conference, the Wolverines finished 19-1 en route to a 37-3 record overall.
Moreover, despite one of the country’s most challenging schedules, Michigan finished fourth overall in point differential at plus-17.8.
Thus, with Monday’s victory, the Wolverines claimed their first national championship since 1989.
On the other side of the court, Connecticut sought its third national title in four years.
In the end, though they came up short, Hurley and the Huskies showed respect to a freshly-crowned fellow champion.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
Michael Schwarz holds a Ph.D. in History and has taught at multiple colleges and universities. He has published one book and numerous essays on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Early U.S. Republic. He loves dogs, baseball, and freedom. After meandering spiritually through most of early adulthood, he has rediscovered his faith in midlife and is eager to continue learning about it from the great Christian thinkers.
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