Sometimes, it only takes one game to undo everything you thought you knew. That’s exactly what happened to former NBA champion, now basketball analyst, Kenny Smith. Just days after making his pick for the national championship, he had to backtrack and flip the script after the Final Four games.
“I’m going to go against my bracket board,” he said on the NCAA Inside March Madness show. “I had Michigan winning there. I think, after watching this today, UConn is going to be the national champ again.” Interestingly enough, Smith never thought the Huskies would make it to the final. His original bracket had Michigan and Michigan State to meet for the national title. But after UConn defeated the Spartans in the Sweet Sixteen, he leaned toward Michigan, especially because of Yaxel Lendeborg.
Interestingly, the Michigan Wolverines were without Lendeborg in their Final Four game, and yet they still dominated Arizona in a 91–73 win. This is a wider margin of victory compared to UConn’s 71–62 defeat of Illinois. Yet Smith, from what he saw, feels the Huskies showed enough signs for him to think they can go all the way. As he puts it, “I think that their versatility on the outside is going to give Michigan more trouble than you think, than most people would think.”
And of course, he was, to a large extent, right in his assessment. UConn actually doubled Arizona’s three-point output on that Final Four night. They’ve also got some high-volume shooters in Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Silas Demary Jr., and Braylon Mullins. Mullins has especially become their most clutch shooter in the tournament. He stole the Elite Eight victory with a 35-foot three-pointer against Duke. He also hit a dagger three-pointer to seal their win against Illinois.
Despite Kenny Smith’s assessment and the stats that back it up, this championship game will be anything but a walkover for Dan Hurley’s boys when you look at it through the lens of Michigan’s run. The Wolverines are coming on the back off a 36-3 season, and have been quite dominant on offense this tournament.
In fact, they became the first team in NCAA history to score 90+ points in five consecutive tournament games. UConn, in the same vein, has also been impressive, entering this final with a 34–5 record. And they are no strangers to this stage, as this is their third national title game in four years. The last two finals in 2024 and 2023, they won.
On Monday, they will be looking to reclaim the title again. For Michigan, however, they will be attempting a record, as their only NCAA championship was in 1989. It’s a battle between reasserting dominance and making history.
Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies Face Potential Absence of Key Player in Final
Despite UConn’s Final Four victory over Illinois, the night did not end on a perfect note for the Huskies. Junior guard Solo Ball sustained a left foot sprain during the first half of that game, and right now it is not certain that he will be available in the championship final. Ball has been a key part of the UConn team, averaging 12.9 points this season. His absence would be a major blow for the Huskies.
Although Ball told reporters that he expects to play, he was seen in a walking boot on Sunday and did not participate in the main practice session. If he doesn’t make it, freshman Braylon Mullins will be forced into an even larger offensive role. Head coach Dan Hurley may also have either Malachi Smith, Jayden Ross, or Jaylin Stewart take Ball’s place.
The injury challenge is, however, not unique to the Huskies alone. Michigan has also been without senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who averages 15.1 points per game this season. And he, in fact, still looks uncertain for the final, even though, like Ball, he has also expressed the desire to play. The uncertainty surrounding these key players forces both coaches to prepare for multiple scenarios, adding another layer of drama to the title game.
