Big Ten hasn’t won basketball national championship since 2000. Can Michigan change that?

On Sunday, a Big Ten team won the NCAA women’s basketball tournament championship for the first time since all the way back in 1999, with conference newcomer UCLA thumping South Carolina 79-51.

Tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the league will hope a similarly long drought will come to a merciful end.

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Michigan men’s basketball’s matchup against UConn in the championship game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is more than just an opportunity for the Wolverines to earn their second championship (and first since 1989) and for coach Dusty May to complete one of the more remarkable turnarounds in the history of the sport.

REQUIRED READING: 5 reasons Michigan will beat UConn for national championship — and one reason it won’t

For all the Big Ten’s money, influence and power in the broader world of college athletics, the conference hasn’t seen one of its men’s basketball programs win an NCAA championship since all the way back in 2000. Since then, UConn, Michigan’s opponent on Monday night, has won five national championships by itself.

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Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

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Iowa State Cyclones fans cheer against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri.

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Kansas Jayhawks cheerleaders perform before a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament against the St. John’s Red Storm at Viejas Arena on March 22, 2026 in San Diego, Calif.

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Nebraska’s Berke Buyuktuncel celebrates with…

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Publish date : 2026-04-06 14:50:00

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