00:00National champions, your Michigan Wolverines with a 69-63 victory over UConn.
00:07And as we said yesterday, Joe told you, you know what?
00:09UConn might not win this basketball game, but stop overlooking them
00:13because it was a race to the window to get as many bets as you can in on Michigan.
00:16Now, they won the game, but didn't cover the spread.
00:19And also, in a title game there, betting the under, usually pretty profitable.
00:23Easily stays under the total, Joe.
00:25Ellie Cadeau's 19 points, the MOP of the tournament, and Michigan has a national championship.
00:32You know, it's funny.
00:33Watching that game last night, Donnie, I don't know if you got the same feeling,
00:36but it really did look like a game of men versus boys.
00:40The size of Michigan is just absolutely unbelievable here.
00:47But again, toughness, you got to give UConn credit for hanging.
00:51They played exactly the kind of game they needed to play.
00:55In order to give themselves a chance to win, at the very least, cover.
00:58And they did just that.
01:00Neither team shot well because both teams were laying it all out there defensively.
01:06It was a good one to watch, but it just never felt like UConn was going to win the game.
01:13It felt more like, well, they stay within the number in the second half more than anything else.
01:19It really did at this point.
01:20Let's get to the postgame press conferences here and hear what the coaches and the players had to say.
01:24Yeah, what a way to wrap up the 25-26 college basketball season with this group.
01:30I want to begin by thanking last year's team.
01:33At Michigan, we came up a little bit short, but those guys laid the foundation, established an identity for us,
01:39and also helped attract these guys to come in and chase this dream together.
01:46And secondly, I want to thank our FAU guys, the team and staff that really, really, this is one time
01:52I'm making it about me,
01:53that really helped us grow together.
01:55And that was the first time I'd been with a group that was truly sacrificial, where we were about each
02:02other.
02:02And because of that, we all improved so much.
02:05And this team's done the same thing.
02:06It's when you bring a group this talented together, and they decide from the beginning that they're going to do
02:12it this way,
02:12and they never waver, and they never change.
02:15That's probably the most uncommon thing in athletics now, and it's a tribute to their character,
02:21but also those in their circles around them, their coaches, their parents, their mentors.
02:27They allowed these guys to give themselves up for the group, and it's never guaranteed.
02:33But for these guys to cut down the nets after all they sacrificed is pretty special.
02:37Yeah, you know, number one, congratulations to Michigan.
02:42Just an incredibly talented, incredibly imposing team physically, obviously well coached, great staff.
02:52You know, just overall, just a, you know, tremendous university, you know, with what they're able to accomplish in sports.
03:00So, obviously, you know, for us, it's tough.
03:07You know, again, we did not come here for watches.
03:10You know, we came here for rings.
03:12And, you know, it's hard to be – I'm not real emotional.
03:16You know, players are crying a lot more than I am.
03:21You know, it's hard to be upset with your team.
03:24You know, we lost the game because we missed.
03:26You know, we just – we missed – we didn't make enough shots.
03:32But it's hard to be upset with your team when they get 22 offensive rebounds versus that team.
03:36I mean, that's just how hard we just played to hold, you know, that team to 38% from the
03:42field.
03:43But, obviously, the – you know, I just thought – you know, the guys picking up two fouls in the
03:50first half,
03:50losing those three guys when we thought had a great chance of going to the locker room with the lead.
03:56You know, really put us in a bad spot.
03:59But, you know, it's – you know, it's hard to be disappointed in your team when they fight so hard.
04:07Huskies started out slow, Joe, then took the lead.
04:10Thought it would make it interesting.
04:11I think Hurley brought up a really good point there, Joe.
04:13Heading into the locker room, you always want the lead.
04:15If you didn't have the lead when you had it, it's sort of a downer heading into the halftime show.
04:19And I thought that's what the difference in the game was.
04:21But, as he's right, Joe, physically imposing, that's the words that you use for the Michigan Wolverines.
04:27Yeah, I think he called them a bunch of monsters over there.
04:30They really were, Donnie.
04:31But this game was won at the free throw line with what Michigan did.
04:37And, you know, when you've got nearly, what, almost two, three to one on opportunities at the free throw line
04:43and you make them and you're not hitting threes, that's how you win a championship.
04:47And that's exactly what Michigan did.
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