Charles Barkley reveals the irony of Michigan’s win over UConn

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NBA legend Charles Barkley made it clear during the NCAA Tournament that he was rooting for Arizona to win it all. But in the end, he acknowledged that Michigan proved why it was the top program this year.

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The Wolverines bested Connecticut, 69-63, in the national title game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday. The Dusty May-coached squad stayed poised in the critical moments to claim its first national championship since 1989.

After the game, Barkley gave the Wolverines their flowers and pointed out that they beat the Huskies with their defense, even though they were more known for their offense.

“Michigan was the best team in college basketball all year. We’ve seen one of the great runs in a long time. What impressed me about this game was that they didn’t play well. They won this game defensively. The best offensive team in the tournament won this game on defense,” said Barkley on TNT Sports.

Michigan, which only lost thrice in the regular season, held UConn to just 21-of-68 from the field, including 9-of-33 from three-point distance.

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Braylon Mullins, who had been shooting exceptionally, shot just 4-of-17 for 11 points. Alex Karaban went 5-of-14, while Tarris Reed Jr. was 4-of-12.

Before facing Michigan, UConn, which had a classy gesture after the game, was averaging 45.8% in the tournament.

Even Huskies coach Dan Hurley admitted that they struggled with their offense versus Michigan.

The Wolverines’ 63 points in the national title game were way below their average of 94.4 points in the tournament, which was also a testament to UConn’s defense.

But in the end, only the final score mattered, and Michigan is back on the mountaintop after a 37-year drought.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/charles-barkley-reveals-irony-michigan-053302487.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-07 05:33:00

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