It’s time to crown a champion.
Monday night’s NCAA tournament national championship game is full of intrigue. UConn is going for its third title in four years under coach Dan Hurley, and Michigan is trying to end a lengthy Big Ten drought and also win its first championship since 1989.
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Injuries could play a factor, as several players took serious lumps in their semifinal games. Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg sprained the MCL in his left knee and also re-injured his ankle but says he’s “playing no matter what.” UConn’s Solo Ball donned a walking boot after spraining his foot Saturday and teammate Silas Demary Jr. has been playing through a high left ankle sprain. Ball, at least, is a game-time decision.
Will a long national title drought get broken for school and conference, or will we see the continuation of the best NCAA tournament run since UCLA?
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup between Michigan and UConn. (Follow along below for live updates.)
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026
Time: 8:50 p.m. ET
TV channel: TBS, TNT, TruTV
Streaming: DirecTV, YouTube TV, March Madness live app and more
Odds: Michigan favored by 6.5 points | Prediction
Preview: Players to watch, keys to the game
Live11 updates
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 5:05 PM PDTNick Bromberg
The Huskies know better than anyone else how to slow down Illinois’ offense. After holding Illinois to 61 points in a November win, UConn beat the Illini 71-62 in the first semifinal. Those were Illinois’ two lowest-scoring games of the season. The only other time the Illini failed to touch 70 was in an ugly 65-55 Sweet 16 win over a Houston team that couldn’t make a shot.
Sure, Illinois had some really good looks that simply didn’t go in the basket on Saturday night. But the Illini had three total assists on 19 made field goals. Two UConn players — Alex Karaban and Silas Demary Jr. — each had more assists by themselves.
The win continued a bizarre and incredible streak for UConn basketball that dates back to the 2009 season. In 10 tournament appearances since losing in the Final Four 17 years ago, UConn has four national titles and six exits in either the first or the second round. The Huskies have now won 19 straight games past the second round of the tournament. Can they make it 20?
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 4:50 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
While AI took UConn, Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab is rolling with Michigan in the championship game.
Our betting team also broke down their best player prop bets for the title game, which you can check out right here.
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 4:35 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports
We asked AI to make a pick in tonight’s game, and here’s what came back from ChatGPT:
“UConn’s edge in this matchup comes from the one thing that travels best in a national championship setting: defense and control of possessions. In the blended model (KenPom, Torvik, BPI, EvanMiya, FTN), UConn consistently grades out as the more reliable defensive team, and that matters in a slow, high-pressure game where every possession is magnified.
“Even with Solo Ball not at full strength, UConn can still generate enough offense through structure, shot selection and second-chance opportunities. Their ability to dominate the glass becomes even more important against a Michigan team dealing with a limited Yaxel Lendenborg, reducing Michigan’s usual physicality and rebounding presence. That shift allows UConn to extend possessions while preventing easy interior looks on the other end.
“Defensively, UConn is built to force tough shots without fouling, which disrupts Michigan’s efficiency-driven offense. Over 40 minutes, that consistency creates small but critical advantages — extra rebounds, one fewer turnover, a couple of late stops. In a game projected to be tight and low-scoring, those margins are decisive. UConn doesn’t need to outgun Michigan; they just need to out-execute them — and their defensive identity gives them the clearest path to doing exactly that.”
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 4:28 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 4:20 PM PDT
It’s not the most expensive ticket if you’re in the Indianapolis area and want to see these two teams go head to head tonight.
Before Saturday’s games, the get-in price for the championship game was $200, per Gametime. With those games finished and the title-game matchup now set, the get-in price has dropped to $104.
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 4:05 PM PDT
College athletics has long been a place for sour grapes to flourish, but the reaction to how Dusty May constructed this team — raiding the transfer portal for four starters, all of whom commanded significant dollars — has taken on a life of its own as the Wolverines rolled through the NCAA tournament.
But not only does such nonsense fly in the face of reality, it fails to properly credit May for choosing the right transfers and putting them in a system that takes advantage of their skills.
If it was so easy, everyone would do it — and from Kentucky’s $22 million disappointment this season to the hundreds of portal mistakes across the country, it’s very clear everyone cannot.
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 3:50 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
More than 25 years ago, May and three other Indiana student managers came to the Final Four to hound coaches for a job.
Now, May is on the verge of winning the national championship with Michigan.
Read more about Dusty May right here.
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Click the photo above to read the story. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 3:35 PM PDTJeff Eisenberg
“The breathing room that UConn had Saturday against Illinois was a product of its smothering defensive ball pressure.
“What let the Huskies down was their second-half offense. They missed an array of open jumpers and struggled to finish inside against Illinois’ frontcourt length.
“That’s an ominous sign for UConn on Monday night against Michigan. Teams shoot a mere 44.3% in the paint against Michigan, the third-worst mark in the nation.”
Read more on UConn right here.
Click the photo above to read the story. (Brett Wilhelm/Getty Images)
(Brett Wilhelm via Getty Images)
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 3:20 PM PDT
Jeff Eisenberg
“North Carolina’s failure to land one of its top-tier coaching targets has laid bare how much the college basketball landscape has shifted since the dawning of the NIL era.
“Being a blue blood is no longer as much of a built-in advantage. Now what matters more is how much green a program can offer prized recruits.
“With options dwindling and time running out before the transfer portal opens Tuesday, North Carolina pivoted to an outside-the-box hire as it seeks to reestablish itself as one of the sport’s elite programs.
“If North Carolina’s coaching search was a litmus test, then the hire of Malone is further evidence that the blue-blood jobs are no longer as coveted as they once were.”
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 3:05 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
First off, North Carolina has settled on a new coach after striking out with several big-name options and it’s a bit of a stunner.
The Tar Heels are reportedly hiring former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who won a NBA title during the 2022-23 season before being unceremoniously dumped less than two years later.
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Mon, April 6, 2026 at 2:58 PM PDT
Yahoo Sports Staff
Good afternoon folks and welcome to our championship game live blog!
We still have about 3 hours until Michigan and UConn tip, but there’s plenty going on around the sport to catch up on!