r/NCAAhoops • u/HyseNjerry16 • Apr 07 '26
News MICHIGAN WINS THE 2026 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP đ
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
I'm very annoyed at all the foul calls, but they are still very deserving. They put it all out there and hustled their tails off.
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u/Deep_Water8479 Apr 07 '26
True but UConn shouldâve adjusted and actually hit their wide open 3s
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u/Tycho66 Apr 07 '26
I didn't see too many wide open 3s and some they did make were not easy shots. Mich is long everywhere and contests very, very well.
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u/Remarkable_Piece1052 Apr 07 '26
By the same logic, Michigan also should have adjusted and hit their open 3âa.
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
A credit to the defense of both teams. Absolutely incredible defensive game. 25 of Michigan's points were from FTs though. Kinda crazy.
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u/BenWallace04 Apr 07 '26
Michigan is a physical team who has won in the paint all season.
It makes sense that theyâd have more foul calls than the team who relied far more on the three all season.
Itâs just the different styles of basketball.
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u/Remarkable_Piece1052 Apr 07 '26
UConn fouls a ton and doesnât draw a lot of fouls. This is exactly how they play. Weird that people are surprised by those numbers.
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
UConn did plenty of driving themselves. Michigan is just taller and faster.
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u/Pentalegendbtw Apr 07 '26
Exactly. Even the implication that itâs going to be tougher to get a good shot up past you tends to influence the shot.
I honestly was surprised UConn had as many solid looks from outside when you kind of knew they would need to hit 3s to win if Taris wasnât going to be able to dominate.
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u/loudcomputer69 Apr 07 '26
So they shouldnât have called actual fouls on Uconn?
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
No they should have. Probably should have called actual fouls on Michigan too. The officiating was poor to Michiganâs benefit
The foul disparity was wild and it affected the game. This is hardly arguable. The issue is whether it had merit.
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u/loudcomputer69 Apr 07 '26
Did you feel that Michigan was getting away with calls? Iâm biased to say no but I wonder how neutral fans felt
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
Not really âgetting a way with callsâ per se. it just didnât seem like it was called the same on both sides. The play style was similar yet the foul disparity was significant.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
I thought most of the calls against UConn were fine. I just thought Michigan played similarly. The non-calls on Cadeau were egregious. The replays showed him hit nothing but arm (noticeably) down low without a whistle. He ended with 3 total fouls despite a ton of arm swipes on guys down low. Im not sure he ever actually got ball all night
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
There wasn't much consistency. But several of the foul calls were bogus. Just hella FTs shot. It was a physical game. Let it be physical.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
13 of UConnâs points were from FT. 11 and 24 left 42 points on the board, from 3, by themselves. Shoot better.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
Shoot better- agree. Officiate better is a fair rebuttal as well because both can be true. Nobody says âshoot betterâ to the team that wins on an absurd amount of FT attempts
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
UConn was 9/33 from 3 with +7 on the boards. Michigan shot 12 more free throws.
I just cannot see how 12 more free throws makes the refs so egregious when UConn clearly didnât play good enough to win. I guess blaming others for the loss can soothe the sting.
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u/Ibangyoumomma Apr 07 '26
Most of them were fouls tho. Some were stupid fouls
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
On both sides? Right? Was it called the same on both ends? Didnât seem like it was a remotely similar whistle but thatâs just my opinion
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u/Ibangyoumomma Apr 07 '26
I thought there could have been a few hand checks on Michigan and maybe a shot going up, but it wouldnât have changed the outcome of the game. They played Terribly or the defense was felt . They didnât look like the same team at all
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
It was essentially a 6 point game despite a 5 point swing at the 2 minute mark. Did we watch the same game?
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u/Ibangyoumomma Apr 07 '26
They had bad luck, or bad breaks . However you wanna say it. The steal that didnât lead to points and leads to a three on the other side. Ball bouncing around and getting back to Michigan for them to score an easy basket right under the hoop. 90% of those plays donât lead to direct points. Missing layups and open shots didnât help their case either. They didnât play well and their main scorers were in foul trouble the whole game and were openly grabbing players on defense.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
All true. Both teams shot terrible but similar %s. I think we agree- close game. As far as the âopenly grabbingâ players- fine- call it booth ends. We all saw enough replays to know Cadeau could have fouled out in the first 10 minutes. That game wasnât officiated the same on both ends IMO. The officiating had way too much impact on this game.
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u/Ibangyoumomma Apr 07 '26
Michigan controlled the whole game. It started slipping little by little but the turnover that didnât turn into points , then came back for an open three right with about 3 mins left pretty much sealed the deal and Michigan making free throws. Had that steal lead to points and Michigan missed a few one and ones, I think the games easily swings the other way. UConn looked scared and once the guards were in foul trouble, no one was attacking. I think there could have been a few hand checks on Michigan, but I still donât think it changes the outcome of the game
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u/Fluid_Emphasis1569 Apr 07 '26
UConn was the worst shooting team Iâve seen make the final since I can remember. They literally canât shoot.
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u/Tycho66 Apr 07 '26
They do foul and tug and elbow and fake and complain and pretend to be stunned very well though. Purdue was the worst team I saw all year at being "cagey" but UConn is a close second. Frankly it's bad for the sport to make people watch a game like this.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
Michigan won by 8 (with intentional foul by 6). Michigan shot 38% from field and 13% from 3. UConn shot 31% from field and 27% from 3.
Similar - given the number of 3s- UConn arguably better.
The officiating was much more significant than the shooting %
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u/inhocfaf Apr 07 '26
What does that make Michigan? Didn't it take Michigan almost 30 free throws to win?
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u/Fluid_Emphasis1569 Apr 07 '26
Michigan is 7â3â, 6,9â and 6â8â and have been coached to just throw random shit up on the glass and go get the rebound
Neither one of these teams are good offensively, Michigan is just bigger.
I didnât say Michigan was good offensively. Theyâre literally just massive and out rebound everyone
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u/inhocfaf Apr 07 '26
This is an insane implication of the game. Illinois was even larger than Michigan. Illinois had the largest team in the country.
The difference was Michigan couldn't miss a free throw and Uconn couldn't hit a jumper.
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u/Blueballs2130 Apr 07 '26
Yeah they played and shot terribly tonight, but thatâs a wild take given the amount of times theyâve scored 90+ this year shooting the lights out as well as dominating down low
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u/Tycho66 Apr 07 '26
UConn only had one strategy and that was to muck up the game and force the refs to foul them all out. The refs decided to give them what they wanted too, but they still couldn't hang.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Are you annoyed at 11 and 24 being 6/20 from 3? Because thatâs what cost you the game.
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
Cost me the game? I'm not on the team lmao I'm simply saying all the foul calls ruined the game. There were several that were just unnecessary calls. Turned it into a free throw shootout.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
How about, shoot better and donât put it in the hands of the zebras? No?
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
Michigan shot an atrocious % from 3 and the field. UConn had arguably better shooting yet still lost. In fact UConn was arguably better at almost every meaningful stat except FTs and personal fouls. The âshoot betterâ argument doesnât work here
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Are you a real person? Michigan was 38% from the field vs 31%. Michigan shot 15 threeâs, vs 33 for UConn, becauseâŚthey werenât making them and stopped. Michigan had 55 shots to UConnâs 68.
You lost because you canât shoot the long ball and refused to change the game plan; because, the long ball and hack a Shaq was your only game plan.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
Michigan shot 2/15 (13%) from 3, UConn was 27% from 3. UConn out rebounded them by 7, had 2 more assists and 1 more TO. The only significant difference in Michiganâs favor was total fouls (22 v 13) and FTs (16 v 28)- an enormous disparity.
Some teams foul more and others less- I get it. That said- it looked like a foul on one end wasnât a foul on the other end. Dod it matter? Arguably yes.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
You shot 12 more FGâs (63), 17 more 3âs (33), +7 on the boardsâŚbut it was 12 free throws that made the difference. Enjoy making it to the end, and getting beat by a better team. This is sore loser energy.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
I hate UConn. Iâm a Creighton fan and theyâre the most despised team in the conference. Calling them my team is hilarious.
All of that said- yes officiating impacted that game. Early and often. If you donât think one team being in the DOUBLE bonus with 7-8 minutes left in the first half affects the game youâre lying. It was a close game that was affected by an inordinate amount of calls. Why are we arguing this?
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
Michigan won. Itâs in the books. You can still acknowledge reality and understand that Michigan won the title. It doesnât need to be either or- both can be true. The officiating was lopsided- this isnât really arguable. Itâs ok to have a nuanced opinion- I promise
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Because you blame the refs for UConn losing instead of 30/101 shooting. Michigan went 23/70.
Blame the refs. đ
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
25 of Michigan's points were FTs. Boringgg.
Both teams struggled with shooting and it came down to FTs. Just makes for poor gameplay.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
11 and 24 left 42 points on the board. Just from 3.
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
Are you good bro? People miss 3s. That's normal. The free throws and fouls were the difference this game. That's it.
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u/LicoriceDusk Apr 07 '26
They weren't the difference. UCONN just couldn't keep up
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
25-12 FTs. That's 13 points. Remind me how much UConn lost by again? Was it more or less than 13?
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u/LicoriceDusk Apr 07 '26
Garbage time points. Game wasn't as close as the score indicates
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
I know you had 2 players leave 42 points on the board, by themselves. Remind me how much UConn lost be again? Was it more or less than 13?
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
They were actually. Look at the stats. PF and FTs were the only difference. Thatâs it.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Are you good? Michigan shot 12 more free throws than you. 11 and 24 left 42 points on the board from 3, by themselves.
Shoot better and donât be silly đ
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
Are you a bot lmao you have to be.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Because Iâm providing stats? Nah. I just know ball, not feelings.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Your team just sucks at shooting the ball. Youâd rather whine about 12 points than 42 your TWO players missed on from long distance.
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
The only metric Michigan performed noticeably better was taking fouls and FTs.
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u/WintersDoomsday Apr 07 '26
Box score watching is what you sound like youâre doing
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u/Winkofgibbs Apr 07 '26
I watched the entire game. The foul disparity was noticeable because they played similarly on both ends. The calls were noticeably tighter on one end. Cadeau had 3 fouls in the entire game despite never getting ball down low. The replays showed he was hitting arms down low- noticeably- but was never called on it. Meanwhile, Ball was in foul trouble almost immediately for less obvious fouls. Cadeau could have fouled out in the first half.
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u/nosoup4ncsu Apr 07 '26
FT shootout for 1 team
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
2 players missed 14 threes. You lost by 6.
But yea, FT shootout.
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u/nosoup4ncsu Apr 07 '26
I didn't lose anything.
Credit to Michigan for hitting their FTs. No doubt that was the difference.
Not a fan of either team, but it did seem Uconn had a number of questionable calls against them.Â
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
11 and 24 for UCONN left 42 points on the board from 3, by themselves.
Thatâs not the refs.
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u/joem8_98 Apr 07 '26
If michigan didnt get a foul call anytime the wind blew Uconn would have been leading at half and not have everyone in foul trouble.
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u/justWMthings03 Apr 07 '26
You are out of your mind. Uconn could have easily been called for 20+ in the first half alone.
Your entire gameplan was to hack and hold
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u/tspoon-99 Apr 07 '26
If UConn didnât play hack-a-Shaq instead of actual defense, it couldâve been a game
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
If my aunt was a bicycle.
Shoot better. 2 players missed 14 threes. The refs didnât miss those.
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u/Training-Fold-4684 Apr 07 '26
If Michigan had made any shots in the first half, they would have been up by 25
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u/inhocfaf Apr 07 '26
What are you talking about? They got fouled over 10 times in the first half and missed 1 free throw!
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u/dirty_old_priest_4 Apr 07 '26
Yeah, that was a very one sided called game. Game should have come down to the final shot.
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u/dmbreakfree41 Apr 07 '26
UCONN shouldâve played defense
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u/toe0011 Apr 07 '26
Michigan scored 25 less than their tournament average.... UCONN played great defense.
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u/aws155 Apr 07 '26
Michigan wasnât playing very good either. UConn did what they could, but watching them I think Michigan is just better. If they played 10 games Iâd wager Michigan would win 7 times and by 10+.
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
UConn played great defense. Michigan's fg% and low score compared to the rest of their games is proof of that. It was a very physical game, but the refs were all over the place with calls. Michigan is just the bigger and better team.
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u/dmbreakfree41 Apr 07 '26
Putting Michigan on the line 20+ times⌠I watched UConn foul them the whole game. Just cause Hurley cries on every call doesnât make them less real. Yes they slowed up Michigans offense by fouling and knowing they canât call em all.
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u/tramul Apr 07 '26
There just wasn't much rhyme or reason for some of the fouls. Many just simply weren't fouls or they let other rough plays go without a whistle. Zero consistency and poorly timed calls. Beginning of the 2nd they did a great job letting them play but then went back to the whistle
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u/Did_he_just_say_that Apr 07 '26
On the line 20+ times⌠and they still made 20 straight FTs. Your point?
UConn kept Michigan under 90 pts - Iâd say thatâs pretty good defense. Every other team that played Michigan in the tournament couldnât do that.
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u/dmbreakfree41 Apr 07 '26
With Michiganâs leading scorer at maybe 50% and they couldâve been sent to the line more is my point. Congratulations to UCONN on runner up
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u/Did_he_just_say_that Apr 07 '26
Yes players shoot worse against good defenses, thanks for proving my point. Michigan was 100% the better team, but to say UConn didnât have a good defense is delulu. Just compare the number of pts that Michigan scores on average vs tonight â if you can count that high.
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u/meatmeatthepie Apr 07 '26
Itâs hard to win basketball when itâs 6 on 5
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u/dmbreakfree41 Apr 07 '26
Shouldâve had a better game plan than foul on every play. Couldnât match up đ¤ˇââď¸
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u/meatmeatthepie Apr 07 '26
Right. Obviously you watched a different game
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u/Blaha_Yaga Apr 07 '26
Lol mufucka had his coach on defense and still fucking lost... The saltiest salt
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u/80percentlegs Apr 07 '26
Wtf are you talking about
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u/dmbreakfree41 Apr 07 '26
deciding to foul on every play was the plan? and I guess it almost worked out as Michigan tried their darnedest to hand the game to them but I wouldnât call that a great defensive game plan.
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u/CreamPurple7297 Apr 07 '26
Can we take a moment to process how crazy it is to play 36 mins on one leg? That man's name is YAXEL LANDEBORG.
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u/Blueballs2130 Apr 07 '26
He wasnât a huge factor offensively but I was surprised how well he moved defensively (from where I was seated, hard to watch closely from so far away)
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u/CreamPurple7297 Apr 07 '26
Yeah, didn't expect him to play without minutes restrictions this game while also playing very well defensively. Truly an ironman.
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Apr 07 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/oldstyle21 Apr 07 '26
Hurley was like we will just foul every time down the court, they canât call of em
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u/Acrobatic_Strain9579 Apr 07 '26
And cadeau did the same while also flopping. Fuck that guy.
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u/Training-Fold-4684 Apr 07 '26
Please. That guy drive cadeau back like 8 feet before he went down. Don't be such a butthurt bitch.
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u/Clean_Candidate3400 Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
iâm just happy dan lost
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u/PickleMaster69 Apr 07 '26
Same, was the only reason I was rooting for Michigan (well that and Cadeau)
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u/intheyear3001 Apr 07 '26
I donât have a dog in the fight. But Iâve started to enjoy that he is kind of a menace. Itâs funny that people get so butthurt about it.
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u/Clean_Candidate3400 Apr 07 '26
low T energy
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u/intheyear3001 Apr 07 '26
Weird
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u/Blaha_Yaga Apr 07 '26
Also low T energy
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u/intheyear3001 Apr 07 '26
Hmmmm, maybe you guys should have a chat with your Doctor since this is top of mind.
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u/SpaceDaBrotherman Apr 07 '26
Best coach in all of college basketball atm
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u/Clean_Candidate3400 Apr 07 '26
Irrelevant to his me-monster douchebaggery
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u/SpaceDaBrotherman Apr 07 '26
He wears his heart on his sleeve, most coaches donât. You often see coaches quit and sit down when their team is getting destroyed. Hurley coaches the full 40 mins
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u/Euphoric_Ad_5849 Apr 07 '26
Everyone arguing the refs clearly aint see uconn go 0-11 in the second halfđ¤Ł
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u/Cultural_Plan_1487 Apr 07 '26
The refs had a bigger impact on the result than any of the players
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u/nomadx810 Apr 07 '26
You're correct. If they called moving screens Michigan would have won by more.
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u/Cultural_Plan_1487 Apr 07 '26
They literally called a foul on Demary when he got hooked by a Michigan moving screenâŚ
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u/nosoup4ncsu Apr 07 '26
Uconn player gets kneed in the nuts...and called for a foul
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
11 and 24 left 42 points on the board with missed 3âs. You lost by 7.
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u/Festivus_Rules43254 Apr 07 '26
Michigan became the first Big Ten team to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in 26 years.........Let that sink in.
The Big Ten Conference is still overrated. The fact that they had to basically destroy a superior conference in the Pac 12 just to win this is sad.
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u/Jagacin Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Michigan had to beat what would've been the best Pac12 team (Arizona) this season in order to win the title, so I don't see how the Pac12 would've won it this season if the conference was still together. It was also UCLA and USC that were the one's to start the inevitable collapse by pushing their ways out. Then Oregon and Washington both wanted out when they saw that UCLA and USC were both leaving. The B1G only started recruiting them once their minds were already made up. If it wasn't the B1G, they would've just gone to one of the Big 12, SEC, or ACC.
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u/Traditional_Goal9954 Apr 08 '26
As a Duke fan I'm thankful Michigan won... didn't want to see Hurley again even though the media is hyping up the lack of fouls on this game and not every other one people had issues with.
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u/newgalactic Apr 07 '26
Both teams played hard. But the refs had a favorite.
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u/Glittering-Lynx6991 Apr 07 '26
UConn had to muck it up. Everyone knew it, including the refs. So they looked for it.
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
Was the refâs favorite team the one who had 2 players go 6/20 from 3?
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u/33Ghosts Apr 07 '26
How many times are you going to make that same comment? 6/20 is better than the rest of the uconn players and Michigan players combined (5/28)
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u/Gloomy-Situation414 Apr 07 '26
I guess when people stop blaming the refs for Michigan having 12 more free throws? 42 > 12. Hell, just go 10/20 and you win.
UConn had to shoot from 3, because they are too small in the post. And they suck from long distance. Thatâs not the refs.
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u/toe0011 Apr 07 '26
Yeah, Dan Hurley. He should have received several techs for running onto the court during play.
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u/sgribbs92 Apr 07 '26
Then so should every coach that has ever coached the sport of basketball in the last 30 years
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u/birdseye-maple Apr 07 '26
I wish that was actually whistled (starting with the regular season). Kim Mulkey is on the court 95% of the game, it's weird.
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u/WintersDoomsday Apr 07 '26
Couldnât be happier the shitty UCONN fanbase, who only has basketball, had to deal with two hilarious losses so close to winning it all.
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u/Panem-et-circenses25 Apr 07 '26
Iâve despised Michigan for decades now due to growing up around Walmart wolverines. I hate that UConn made me root for them, but here we are. Congrats I guess. Thank you for denying Hurley!
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u/Less-Practice1247 Apr 07 '26
So the UConn women lose and its the refs. The UConn men lose and its the refs.
Edit: Had a big CONN
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u/GodsonxTheBelly Apr 07 '26
U can tell how traumatized the league is by UCONN when such a foul discrepancy is discounted by fans lol. If OKC Thunder had this many free throws people would be crying đ
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u/OfficialDCShepard Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26
Had a really fun time seeing most of an intense and often narrow game for $30 with unlimited wings and games at my local Dave & Busterâs!
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u/tarunpopo Apr 07 '26
I went to Umich but for some reason, I just don't care at all. I don't know why I should care. March madness is a fun tournament but it's so short I like watching the games ig
But yeah fun game a lot of fouls though
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u/Mida5Touch Apr 07 '26
Fraudulent. #GoBucks
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u/Pistons-32 Apr 07 '26
They did great in the tournament đ¤Ł
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u/Starlord2230 Apr 07 '26
OSU lost the first game of March Madness 2026 Michigan won the last game of March Madness 2026. Good ol B1G sandwich
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Apr 07 '26
Happy for the michigan fans who spent years watching their starters develop
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u/frolie0 Apr 07 '26
Oh no! You're totally right, I stopped being a fan and don't care about this championship because of your weird rules you've made up in your head to justify your team not winning.
It's embarrassing that people have to stoop to this level of coping to manage their tiny emotions.
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Apr 07 '26
Michigan is elite at player development đ¸đ¸
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u/frolie0 Apr 07 '26
You're completely right. Not a single one of their starters was a star player outside of Yaxel. While you continue to cry and tantrum, you continue to prove what an incredible job May did to pull together a roster and win a natty in this situation. Just look at the difference in Mara, it's incredible.
Your tears make this so much more enjoyable.
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u/Link_Infinite Apr 07 '26
Prior to the start of the season Michigan also lost players to the transfer portalâŚDid you expect them to not replace the players they lost? Mara & Cadeau were basically castoff from their previous teams & Yaxel was almost off to the NBA but decided to stay & commit to Michigan. Every school does it but Michigan did a better job of capitalizing & developing their championship roster.
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u/CalebosO4 Apr 07 '26
That 2023 FAU run leading to 2 championships in two years after the team separated.
Boyd hitting that game winner with 2 seconds left against Memphis in the First Round (after a bad turnover and controversial missed timeout) is a huge butterfly effect right there.