Michigan senior point guard, Elliot Cadeau was named 2026 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player (MOP) after defeating the UConn Huskies.

Senior center Lauren Betts scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds on her way to Most Outstanding Tournament Player

Morez Johnson Jr. was one of 5 transfer starters for the Wolverines. He previously played for Illinois.

The Lady Bruins of UCLA and the young men of the University of Michigan are the queens and kings of NCAA Division I College Basketball following impressive victories in their respective national championship games this past weekend.

The women of Westwood restored some of the luster to the famed “UCLA Basketball Tradition” with their 79-51 thrashing of the Gamecocks of South Carolina. Bruins coach Cori Close: “This victory is dedicated to the legendary (UCLA coach) John Wooden and others who have contributed to this moment, with the ultimate credit going to my players who committed themselves to the hard work that it took to get this team to where it now stands — at the top of NCAA Division I Women’s College Basketball.”

And what a journey it has been, as this senior-laden UCLA team led by All-American Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez completed their mission to the mountaintop of their game. Close is quick to point out the leadership role that Rice played by Kiki Rice: “She is the glue and unquestioned floor leader of this team. Lauren Betts gets credit for being our number one star, and deservedly so, but Kiki is an indispensable part of the equation that cannot be overlooked. It is her team to run, and she runs it.”

Rice comes from a prestigious family of leaders, including (aunt) Susan Rice, national security advisor under President Barack Obama (2013-2017); and grandparents Emmit (the second Black governor of the Federal Reserve) and Lois (who helped design the Pell Grant system).

Kiki Rice: “There are leaders throughout my family. I am just following in their footsteps,” says the 5-foot-11-inch All-American backcourt star. But this UCLA squad is a special group that put together a season for the ages, winning their last 31 straight games while compiling a 37-1 overall season record, the single loss coming at the hands of the University of Texas Longhorns, which was avenged in their definitive 51-44 triumph in Final Four play on Friday.

This was also a landmark win for UCLA head coach Close, who became a national championship winner in her 15th season at the school. Much was made of “how long” it took Close to finally win her first national basketball title. Those in the media who expressed those thoughts failed to mention that it took the great John Wooden, “The Wizard of Westwood,” 16 years to win his first National Collegiate Basketball Championship (in 1964) at UCLA. His Bruins teams would capture nine more national titles (seven straight) over the next 11 years, a mark that still stands as the benchmark of college basketball history. Wooden’s teams also amassed record-setting win streaks of 60 and 88 straight games during the “UCLA Dynasty Years” (1964-1975).

Close puts her name in the UCLA basketball record book as the first to win an NCAA Division I Women’s National Basketball Championship and second in school history to win a national title in the sport. It is the first since 1978 in the AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women). And, she won her national title by cultivating a class of senior players who matured, in the coach’s words, as “a sisterhood of seniors to blend in with a talented group of underclass female players.”

A look at the box score for this national title team supports her thinking. Gabriela Jaquez, sister of former UCLA men’s star Jaime Jaquez (and current member of the Miami Heat), 21 points; Gianna Kneepkens,15 points; Lauren Betts (Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four), 14 points, 11 rebounds; Kiki Rice, 10 points, Charlisse Leger-Walker, 10 points; and Angela Dugalic, 9 points; all 79 points from the winning team coming from this group of senior players while holding a talented South Carolina squad to just 51 points.

Part of the backdrop for this story centers on a postgame incident that took place at the conclusion of the Connecticut/South Carolina (Final Four) semifinal contest on April 3. UConn entered the game unbeaten in 54 straight games. The UConn Huskies were thoroughly dominated by the Lady Gamecocks, losing 62-48. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, who had lost himself during the game, exemplified this by his profanity-laced, postgame interview on national television. He topped off his mental meltdown by stating that Sarah Strong, his All-American/College Player of the Year, was getting “beat-up” with no foul calls being made in her favor.

Auriemma further stated that Strong’s uniform was ripped by South Carolina players. This claim was proved entirely false, as video evidence showed that Strong ripped her own jersey in a moment of frustration. And if all this wasn’t enough to show how “out of control” Auriemma was, his postgame actions clearly defined who he sometimes becomes when he loses a tough game.

He charged South Carolina coach Dawn Staley during the “postgame handshake” and had to be restrained on his second attempt to physically accost Staley.

When asked about his actions, he came up with an extremely weak response: “I said what I said to her.” Staley took the ‘high road’ in the incident by stating, “You have to ask Geno what he said,” but the incident didn’t end there. Auriemma kept the spotlight on himself with a deplorable, half-handed, written apology to the South Carolina coaching staff and players, stating that he “lost control of his emotions,” never naming Dawn Staley in his apology.

So, for the hours leading up to the NCAA Women’s Championship game, Staley had to field questions about the UConn coach’s actions. She refused to talk about the incident, but you can believe it affected her thinking and preparation for her team’s championship game against UCLA. But to her credit, she refused to make that an excuse for her team “underperforming” in the lopsided championship game defeat: “Today was about UCLA and the great game they played against my team. They deserve every accolade thrown their way for their brilliant performance in this title game. I’ll address the Geno Auriemma situation at a later date. For now, all congratulations go out to UCLA. They are true champions.”

The Michigan Wolverines broke through some historical barriers in their 69-63 victory over the University of Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship game.

In a game that could only be labeled an “ugly street fight contest,” the Wolverines out-toughed the Huskies to become the first NCAA Division I National Championship squad to start five transfer students.

Other significant points: This is Michigan’s first national basketball title since 1989, snapping a four-game losing streak in championship games. The victory also snaps the Big Ten Conference’s 0-8 record in title games since the Michigan State Spartans won it all back in 2000. Connecticut, led by senior forward Alex Karaban of Northborough, Massachusetts, (17 points), guards Solo Ball (11 points) and Braylin Mullins (11 points), lost its first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Game in school history (6-1).

As for the game itself, Michigan won by solid defense and great foul shooting (20 straight and 23 for 25 overall). Defensively, the Wolverines held Connecticut to 34% shooting from the field while blocking six shots. Wolverines Coach Dusty May: “We did not play well as we struggled on offense. But it was our defense that won this game.” Six-foot, 9-inch star forward Yaxel Lindeborg (transfer from the University of Alabama-Birmingham) had 13 points, six during a critical stretch in the second half, while playing 36 minutes of the game on an injured knee and ankle: “I played injured because I refused to let my teammates down. We have been labeled as a bunch of mercenaries because our starters were transfers. But now they can call us national champions.”

Morez Johnson Jr. (a transfer from Illinois) had 12 points and 10 rebounds: “All year long we played as a team, and this national title is our reward.” Teammate Elliott Cadeau (point guard transfer from University of North Carolina) would lead the Wolverines with 19 points as he was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four: “We came together as a team after coming to Michigan through the transfer portal. We all sacrificed individual statistics to win this national championship. This is a lesson to be taught: when you play as a team, every member can share in glory.”