INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The University of Michigan defeated the UConn Huskies, 69 to 63, to win the men’s college basketball national championship Monday night. On a national stage with the highest stakes, players kept the thrill of victory in perspective.
It’s only the second time in school history that the Michigan Wolverines have become national champions. They captured their first national championship since 1989.
With 2:37 left in the game, UConn was down 9 points. Silas Demary, Jr. found Alex Karaban for three, bringing the score to 62-56. He had a team-high 17 points. On the other end, Trey McKenney struggled to find his shot all night long, but then he hit one when it mattered the most, sending Michigan up by nine.
But on the other end, with only 40 seconds to go, UConn wasn’t going away without a fight. Solo Ball nailed a three, making it a 4-point game with 37 seconds to go.
Michigan, on the other end, would hit a pair of free throws. Then Malachi Smith missed a layup, and time expired, making Michigan the national champions. After the game, CBN Sports spoke to players from both teams:
UConn Center, Tarris Reed, Jr. #5: “All thanks to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ and thanks to the man next to me, Coach Hurley. He saw something that I didn’t even see in myself. So, I mean, top of my head, Ecclesiastes 7-8, ‘Better is the end than the beginning.’ Man so just looking back at the whole journey I had, journey with these guys I mean I’m going to miss it, so, like I said the Lord does those things in mysterious ways and I cried all my tears out and just blessed me and put His hand in today and love these guys for life, these are my brothers for life.”
Michigan Guard, Nimari Burnett #4: “Man, His grace has been amazing, nothing short of amazing. Just Him blessing me with His presence, it overwhelms my life you know in a beautiful way, even when I feel like I’m not being my best self, He gives me that, it gives me that feeling that I will right that wrong whatever the case may be, and that He has my back no matter what. As long as I seek Him and I trust Him and I trust Him through all the ups and downs, and it was like He said, ‘I got you’ and I’m just grateful for that.”
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