Finals

This season of SNL has been notably poor. I know people have been saying that every season since Chevy Chase left the show, but it's true. We keep watching, hoping the new cast members find their groove.

Imagine my surprise when the cold open was a parody of Charles Barkley's commentary on immigration during a post-game show. I've watched approximately a million hours of tournament coverage, but somehow I missed that!

CBS had just run a piece on UConn's Alex Karaban, in which it was mentioned in passing that he is a first generation American. His father, Alexei, is from Belarus; his mother, Olga, is from Ukraine. They both immigrated to the US, legally, in 2001 and 1996, respectively. Alexei, a software engineer, played hoops at Belarus State. He built a half court in the back yard to give young Alex a place to train. Olga earned a PhD in physical therapy from Northeastern. 

Alex Karaban grew up in Southborough, Mass but played high school ball at the elite New Hampton School in New Hampshire. I didn't know that. New Hampton is right down the road from our New Hampshire house. Olga Karaban was instrumental in Alex getting a basketball scholarship to New Hampton, where tuition, room and board run $75,000 a year. Olga also insisted that he choose a college with a solid academic reputation.

Alex Karaban has won more games than any UConn player. He was a member of the title teams in 2023 and 2024. If he won a third championship, he would be the first men's player to do so since the UCLA teams in the 1970s.

The Karaban Family (at NH's Lake Winnipesaukee on the left)

After the Karaban piece, Barkley launched into a monologue in defense of immigrants. That's worth watching. The SNL parody, not so much. They had a guy playing Bruce Pearl, who is a legitimate right wing nut job! Don't believe me? When he was rumored to be in the mix for the Kentucky job, it was speculated that it wouldn't work because of the content of Pearl's Twitter account. Because he's too combative and conservative! I love my home state, but when the folks there accuse you of being too right wing, you might want to dial it back a bit. It was right there for SNL, and they did nothing with it.

Alex Karaban has been a constant. Braylon Mullins stole the headlines. The reason UConn is in the finals is Tarris Reed, who has been a beast on the blocks. In the regular season, Reed averaged 15 points and 9 boards (plus 2 blocks). In the tournament, Reed has upped those numbers to 21 and 13. Remember that he pulled down 27 (!) rebounds in the first round game against Furman. He single-handedly kept his team in the game against Duke (26 and 9) when his backcourt could not buy a bucket.

Here's where it gets interesting. Reed started his college career at Michigan. A native of St. Louis, Reed was a four-star out of high school. He played sparingly his freshman year. As a sophomore, he broke into the starting lineup averaging 9 points and 7 rebounds for the Wolverines.

Reed was proving he belonged but his team was terrible. Michigan finished 8-24 in 2024. Coach Juan Howard, a member of the Fab Five back when, had medical issues. Which didn't help. However, his teams weren't great even when he was healthy. Tarris Reed stayed at Michigan as they hired Dusty May. Reed was dismayed as  May immediately recruited over him, bringing in big men Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolfe.

When he hit the transfer portal, Reed sought out a "hard, strict" coach who would push him to the next level. It appears that Dan Hurley has fit the bill. In 2025, Reed was named Big East 6th Man of the Year. In 2026, he was First Team All-Big East (along with teammates Karaban and Demary). But it wasn't easy. Hurley rode Reed so hard over the 2025 season, Reed seriously considered transferring. Back to Michigan! 

Reed is a sturdy 6'11", 265 pounds. He has his work cut out for him tonight, going up against Aday Mara who goes 7'3" and 255 pounds. Mara is awkward, but the ball somehow ends up in the basket. Mara is also long, providing serious rim protection. This winner of this match-up likely dictates the outcome of the game.

At halftime of Michigan-Arizona, Axel Lendeborg's mother and agent implored him not to play the second half. The medical staff cleared him and in he went, immediately nailing 3s off either wing. With the game out of reach, Axel shut it down for the rest of the game. Both were smart moves. The NBA plays 82 games in the regular season; playing through injuries is part of the deal. I guarantee that NBA GMs took notice. He hurt is ankle and knee. An MRI showed a MRI strain rather than a tear. His ankle sprain was described as low grade with minimal swelling.

UConn's Solo Ball showing up in a walking boot was a bit of a surprise. Ball strained a foot in the Illinois game, when he got tangled up with Tarris Reed on a screen. He didn't practice Sunday. Ball averages 13 points a game, third on the team (ahead of both Mullins and Demary). Hurley said that if this was a regular season game, Ball wouldn't play.

Michigan rolled Arizona with Lindeborg playing only 14 minutes. Not sure UConn can pull off something similar if Ball is significantly limited.

UConn is 6-0 in national title games. Unbelievable.

Michigan has one national title, in 1989. You may remember Glen Rice from that team promsing that they were going to "shock the world". Many of you weren't born then, so maybe not. I remember the Michigan coaches. Yep, plural. Bill Freider coached the regular season, which ended with a solid 25-7 record. Before the tournament, Freider announced that he was leaving Michigan for Arizona State but intended to coach his team through the tourney. AD Bo Schembechler had other ideas. He fired Freider declaring "A Michigan man will coach Michigan, not an Arizona State man." Assistant Coach Steve Fisher was named the interim coach. He looked totally baffled on the sideline, but Rice caught fire and led his team to the title. Schembechler had little choice but to name Fisher as the permanent coach. The next two Michigan teams struggled, but then Fisher brought in a group of freshmen that called themselves the Fab 5. They made the finals two straight years, losing to Duke and UNC. Fisher would be fired a few years later in the aftermath of a point shaving scandal.

Steve Fisher and the Fab 5 (Jalen Rose, Juwon Howard, Jimmy King, Chris Webber and Ray Jackson. Those dudes epitomized cool.

It's an all transfer starting 5 for the current Michigan squad. Players from UAB, Illinois, UCLA, Alabama and North Carolina.

Michigan is just huge. You forget about Morez Johnson, who is 6'9" 250. UConn couldn't handle him early on. No one could guard him down low (the only place he can score) and he was switching on everything defensively. Effectively, even when he ended up on any of the three wing players. 

Solo Ball seemed fine. In fact, he was the offense early on attacking the Michigan defense. Lindeborg initially was playing good defense, but was not involved offensively. 

Karaban with two big 3s, the second to give his team its first lead at the 10 minute mark. UConn slowed the pace and shut down the Michigan fast break. Michigan had the size advantage down low but missed a bunch of shots at the basket. And their 3s weren't falling. Literally, 0-8 in the first from deep. 0-16 outside the paint!

There was a foul disparity. Cadeau had a couple for Michigan, but both of the UConn backcourt had two plus Reed. Michigan shot a lot of free throws. Hurley complained, but playing slow and physical was obviously his game plan. Unfortunately for UConn, the chip shots down low started falling for Michigan, who powered through a 10-4 run to lead 33-29 at the half.

Michigan, averaging well over 90 points a game for the tournament, held to 33 at the break (their previous first half tourney "low": 47).

That said, UConn dictated the pace and went 5-15 from deep. And still they were down 4 at the half.

Ball had a couple of those 3s; he was limited only by foul trouble. Axel was off, as he admitted candidly in the halftime interview: "I can't make anything ... I played really soft in that first half."

Ball picked up fouls 3 and 4 less than four minutes into the second half. Demary with 3 too. Reed got his third soon after.

The rim on the left side was not kind to either team. It was UConn's basket in the second half and they went 0-8 over the first 10 minutes after the break as Michigan inched out to a 9-point lead.

UConn did not give up, scrappy to the end. But the juggernaut would not be denied. The champions wear maize and blue. Michigan 69-63.

Karaban (17, 11) and Reed (13, 14) were terrific for Connecticut. Mullins, not so much: 11 points on 4-17 shooting.

It was the little guy who held it together for the Wolverines. Cadeau scored 19 and ran the show, although he only had two assists. He was named the most outstanding player.

Mara and Lindeborg were held in check; the forgotten big, Johnson, was huge: 12 and 10 and some nasty defense. 

The shooting was awful. Both teams shot in the 30s. Michigan was 13% from 3.

But Michigan hit (nearly) all the free throws: 25-28.

They needed every one. UConn held them 25 points below their tourney scoring average.

The Michigan defense was spectacular at times, including 6 blocks.