No. 16 Michigan faces No. 4 UConn in 69-63 title rematch

The No. 16 Michigan Wolverines will defend their 2026 NCAA national championship title against the No. 4 Connecticut Huskies at TD Garden in Boston on Friday, November 6. The contest is part of the Hall of Fame Series Boston, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. EST. The game will air nationally on TNT and truTV and stream on HBO Max.

Michigan secured its second national title and first since 1989 by defeating UConn 69-63 in the 2026 championship game. Elliot Cadeau led the Wolverines with 19 points in that final and earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. Trey McKenney also contributed a key three-pointer and two late free throws to close out the victory. The two teams have combined to win three of the past four NCAA championships.

Both programs enter Friday’s matchup with a 1-0 record. Michigan opened its season on November 2 with an 84-68 victory over Oakland University. The Wolverines returned seven players from the previous year’s title-winning roster, including Cadeau and McKenney, both of whom are preseason All-Big Ten selections. The team also added four transfers and six freshmen to replace three players taken in the NBA draft lottery.

The roster changes include the departure of Morez Johnson Jr., selected ninth overall, Yaxel Lendeborg, selected 11th, and Aday Mara, selected 12th. In the season opener, Roddy Gayle Jr. and McKenney each scored 17 points. Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella contributed 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in his debut with the Wolverines.

The game serves as a homecoming for Michigan freshman Quinn Costello, a native of Medford, Massachusetts. Costello scored 13 points and made three three-pointers in his collegiate debut against Oakland. UConn enters the game ranked fourth nationally under coach Dan Hurley, who is in his ninth season with the program. Hurley has guided the Huskies to three Final Four appearances and two national championships over the last four seasons.

UConn returned guards Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins from last season’s runner-up squad. Demary, the preseason Big East Player of the Year, averaged 10.1 points and 5.9 assists last season. Mullins averaged 12 points per game. The Huskies also added transfers Nik Khamenia from Duke and Na’Jai Hines from Seton Hall. UConn finished its previous season with a 34-6 record.

This contest marks the 11th time since 1996 that the previous season’s national championship finalists have met again in the following season. Defending champions have won six of the prior 10 such rematches. Michigan holds a 3-2 lead in the all-time series against UConn. The teams last met in November 2015 at the Battle 4 Atlantis, where UConn won 74-60.

Following Friday’s game, Michigan will return to Crisler Center on Wednesday, November 11, to host Marquette at 7 p.m. The Wolverines will then host William & Mary on November 15 before traveling to Philadelphia to face Villanova at Xfinity Mobile Arena on November 21.