How NBA Draft Prospects Fared in Michigan's Title Win over UConn

On Monday evening, top-seeded Michigan took down second-seeded UConn, 69-63, sealing its second-ever national championship.

The title game was laden with NBA Draft prospects, some who will be drafted in a matter of months, and others who will hear their names called in the years to come.

The game was tightly-contested throughout, with each game trying to impose its will on the other. Neither team could get in a scoring rhythm, offering up one of the better defensive bouts we’ve seen in some time.

The Wolverines continue to rely on their NBA-bound frontcourt of Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., which combined to make up one of the most fearsome units in college basketball all season long.

Lendeborg didn’t see a great game in totality by his standards, but did make multiple big plays down the stretch despite battling injury. In the team’s Final Four bout with Arizona, Lendeborg drove and came down hard, injuring both his knee and ankle. He was assigned an MCL sprain, bone bruise and a sprained ankle, though he was vocal in fighting through it.

"I feel awful. I'm super weak. I can't make anything....I played super soft in this half."

Yaxel Lendeborg after playing all 20 minutes of the first half. pic.twitter.com/iAZGJ2Jv1p
— Underdog (@Underdog) April 7, 2026

Lendeborg scored exclusively inside the arc, hanging in the paint for put-backs, capitalizing on mismatches with his size and getting to the free throw line as well. All in all, Lendeborg would finish his career with 13 points on 13 shots, adding two rebounds, one assist and one block.

Mara couldn’t continue his superstar production from the Arizona bout, but was still able to make his presence known on both ends, going for eight points, four rebounds and one steal and block apiece, with plenty of suave rim finishes and rim-protection.

Johnson continued to fill in the gaps, finishing plays and sliding all over the court on defense. He added 12 points on effecient 5-for-7 shooting, with 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

UConn’s group in Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr. and Braylon Mullins didn’t score efficiently enough to bring it home, but did all thrive in their own small ways to make a tight contest.

Karaban, who won two titles across his career with the Huskies, went out with a good performances, going for 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. The team’s 6-foot-11 enforcer in Reed struggled with Michigan’s frontcourt, scoring just 13 points on 12 shots, though he did add 14 rebounds and a steal. Mullins was looked at time and again to score, but couldn’t find a rhythm scoring 11 points on 17 shots in total.

In the first half, UConn largely enforced its will, though Michigan was able to hang around via pure talent and hustle. The Wolverines were able to grab a small lead, and then saw a small scoring explosion from Elliot Cadeau in the second half that would given them their arm’s length lead. The Huskies would naturally make their run at the end, though the Wolverines were able to hang on.

Regardless of result, there's little doubt that prospects on both sides were able to boost their stock somewhat en route to the title game, earning more time under the microscope on the biggest stage.