The UConn Huskies fell 69–63 to the Michigan Wolverines on Monday in the national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
UConn was seeking its third national title in four years, while Michigan aimed to end a more than 35-year championship drought, a feat they ultimately accomplished in a game that was notably sluggish.
Michigan shot just 2-for-15 from three-point range, while UConn made 9 of 33 attempts. However, Michigan outscored the Huskies by 14 points in the paint and attempted 12 more free throws, a statistic that became the most talked-about controversy of the game.
The Huskies were called for 22 fouls, forcing several players to sit extended minutes due to early foul trouble, while Michigan was called for only 13 fouls.
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Despite fan frustration over the discrepancy, UConn head coach Dan Hurley — who is known for showing his displeasure with officiating — had nothing negative to say about the refs after the game.
“That’s an all-star group there… Kip and Jeff and James, who we’re familiar with as well,” Hurley said postgame. “It’s such a physical game. Michigan is so physical. It’s not the reason why we lost this game… the first-half foul trouble… we could’ve gone into halftime with a lead.”
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Instead, Hurley placed no blame on anyone. He pointed to UConn’s inability to make shots as the reason for the loss but gave all the praise to Michigan, who dominated throughout the NCAA Tournament.
“Congratulations to Michigan — an incredibly talented, physically imposing team, well-coached, with a great staff and overall a tremendous university given what they’ve been able to accomplish in sports,” Hurley said after the loss.
“They’re legit; they definitely deserve to win the national championship,” he added. “They’re clearly the best team this year. They’re just so hard to score against at the rim… what hurt us even more than the missed threes were some of the shots that rimmed out.”
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