AI Summary
5 min readCutting Down the Nets: Michigan's Unlikely Title and the New Reality of College Basketball
The championship game that ended the college basketball season was, by nearly every aesthetic measure, a disaster. Michigan beat UConn 69-63 in Indianapolis, and the two teams combined to shoot so poorly that the game set a kind of accidental record: Michigan made only two three-pointers the entire night—the last time a national champion made that few from deep was before the three-point line existed in college basketball. "The whole thing was a buzzkill," Ben Maller said flatly. "An absolute buzzkill."
What Went Wrong for UConn
Dan Hurley's team did exactly what they wanted to do. They dragged Michigan into a grinded-out, mud-fight game. The Wolverines, who had scored 90-plus in every tournament game leading up to the final, were held to 69 points. UConn played in the mud, as Maller put it, and they succeeded in making the game ugly. The problem was that they couldn't make shots either.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:51) **Hour One Open & Housekeeping** - Ben welcomes listeners, announces upcoming Mallor meet-and-greet dates in Cincinnati (April 25), Boston (May 8), and Worcester (May 9), and teases the episode’s main topics.
- 2 (03:21) **Michigan Wins the National Title** - A recap of the 69-63 championship game: Michigan’s second title since 1989, the “Mandela effect” that the Fab Five never won, and the game’s ugly offensive numbers.
- 3 (07:57) **What Went Wrong for UConn** - Ben argues UConn played the game they wanted—a grind-it-out, low-scoring affair—but lost due to foul trouble and a lopsided whistle.
- 4 (11:33) **Yaxel Linderberg Defends the “Mercenary” Label** - Michigan’s star transfer from UAB addresses critics calling the Wolverines a team of hired guns.
- 5 (13:02) **Are Michigan the Biggest NIL Beneficiary or Abuser?** - Ben argues the answer is “C: all of the above,” framing the Wolverines’ model as the new normal in college basketball.
- 6 (16:57) **Dusty May’s NBA Leverage** - The rumor mill says Michigan’s head coach is drawing NBA interest; Ben examines whether it’s genuine or agent-driven leverage to force a raise.
- 7 (21:01) **Peeking Ahead: 2026-27 Title Odds** - Ben reads the early betting lines for next year’s national champion, with Duke as the favorite at +700 and Michigan close behind at +800.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about Michigan beating UConn to win the NCAA Championship, what went wrong for Dan Hurley's UConn squad, Wolverines F Yaxel Lendeborg defending the 'mercenary' label, if Michigan is the biggest beneficiary of NIL or the biggest abuser, and much more!
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