# 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game
The 2026 [NCAA Division I](https://www.edgepedia.org/ncaa-division-i) men's basketball championship game was the final of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, played on April 6, 2026 at [Lucas Oil Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-oil-stadium) in [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), in which Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 to win the national championship.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) It was Michigan's first national title since 1989, and it denied UConn what would have been its third championship in four years.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Result | Michigan 69, UConn 63[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) |
| Date and site | April 6, 2026, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis; attendance 70,720[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) |
| Champion | Michigan, 37-3, coached by Dusty May[2](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) |
| Significance | Michigan's first national championship since 1989[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) |
| Leading scorer | Elliot Cadeau, 19 points for Michigan[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) |
| Free throws | Michigan made 25 of 28 attempts (89.3 percent)[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) |
| Broadcast | TBS, TNT and truTV, with streams on NCAA March Madness Live and HBO Max[3](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/) |
## Road to the final
The 2026 tournament was the last contested with a 68-team field; the NCAA announced in May 2026 that the men's and women's brackets would expand to 76 teams starting in 2027.[4](https://apnews.com/article/5430c958e232afd8eb9226aa255e9c76) Selection Sunday on March 15 gave No. 1 seeds to Duke, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida, with Duke named the top overall seed after receiving 50 of 57 first-place votes in the final AP regular-season poll.[5](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21) Michigan entered as the betting favorite for the national championship despite not receiving a first-place vote in that poll.[5](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21)
The Final Four paired Michigan against Arizona and UConn against Illinois in Indianapolis on April 4.[3](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/) UConn reached its third national championship game in four seasons by beating Illinois 71-62, with freshman [Braylon Mullins](https://www.edgepedia.org/braylon-mullins) scoring 15 points and [Tarris Reed Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/tarris-reed-jr) adding 17 points and 11 rebounds; the Huskies carried a 34-5 record and a 19-game winning streak in Sweet 16 or later rounds into the final.[6](https://apnews.com/article/8744f407ee6aebe710f84c642bfe41ba)
## The game
Michigan struggled early from the perimeter, opening 0-for-8 from 3-point range, while UConn's interior defense controlled the paint and limited second-chance opportunities; the Huskies finished 5-for-15 from deep.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) CBS described the Wolverines as having stymied every attempted UConn run and dominated in the paint despite a poor shooting night.[7](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/)
Free throws decided the margin. Michigan made 25 of its 28 attempts at the line, and Elliot Cadeau led the Wolverines with 19 points as Michigan pulled away late.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) The crowd of 70,720 leaned heavily toward Michigan.[1](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship) Cadeau's tournament run to Most Outstanding Player honors was framed by CBS as a redemption story.[7](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/)
## Aftermath and context
The win gave Michigan a 37-3 final record under coach Dusty May, according to the NCAA's championship history table, which lists the game as a 69-63 result over runner-up UConn in Indianapolis.[2](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1) In the final Associated Press Top 25 of the 2025-26 season, released April 7, Michigan was ranked No. 1 with all 57 votes, ahead of UConn, Arizona, Duke, and Illinois.[8](https://apnews.com/article/614eb1b6c01ff2bfcb25f85c10abb234)
The championship game capped a Final Four weekend in which, for the first time in college basketball history, the Division II and III men's national championships, the NIT semifinals and final, and the Division I Men's Final Four were all held in the same city in the same week.[3](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/) It was the ninth time Indianapolis hosted the Men's Final Four since 1980, second among all cities behind [Kansas City, Missouri](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-missouri), with 10.[3](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/) The 2027 Final Four and championship game are scheduled for April 3 and 5, 2027 at [Ford Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/ford-field) in Detroit.[9](https://www.ncaa.org/championship/division-i/mens-basketball/)
## References
1. [Michigan beats UConn, wins 2026 men's basketball national championship, NCAA.com (April 6, 2026)](https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2026-04-06/michigan-beats-uconn-wins-2026-mens-basketball-national-championship)
2. [DI Men's Basketball Championship History, NCAA.com](https://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-men/d1)
3. [NCAA Men's Final Four weekend in Indianapolis also features DII, DIII, NIT titles, NCAA.org (March 30, 2026)](https://www.ncaa.org/news/media-center-ncaa-mens-final-four-weekend-in-indianapolis-also-features-dii-diii-nit-titles/)
4. [Fueled by beer ads, March Madness tournaments will expand to 76 teams each starting next season, AP News (May 7, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/5430c958e232afd8eb9226aa255e9c76)
5. [The Latest: Selection Sunday: Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida claim No. 1 seeds in men's bracket, AP News (March 15, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/6bcf0716a22296d27aa9c253cb07fd21)
6. [UConn and Hurley muscle their way to 3rd national title game in 4 seasons, beating Illinois 71-62, AP News (April 5, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/8744f407ee6aebe710f84c642bfe41ba)
7. [2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/ncaa-tournament/)
8. [Michigan ranked No. 1 in final AP Top 25 poll of season ahead of UConn, Arizona, Duke and Illinois, AP News (April 7, 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/614eb1b6c01ff2bfcb25f85c10abb234)
9. [Division I Men's Basketball, NCAA.org](https://www.ncaa.org/championship/division-i/mens-basketball/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › US college basketball (NCAA, NAIA) › Tournaments, seasons, and conferences*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license