The Big Ten has produced a national champion for the first time since 2000. Michigan, who won it all, once in 1989, but finished runner-up in 1991,1992, 2013 and 2018, are back on the mountain top, led by point guard Elliot Cadeau. He was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. And he reached a deal on Thursday to return to Ann Arbor for his senior season.
(Although Michigan’s “Shock the World” signs will definitley dumb you down! They were a #1 seed, favored by 7.5 in the national title game, and the overall favorites to win it all from the sweet 16 onward. Nothing shocking about it…but still more likable than Dan Hurley)
As the Wolverines plowed through the Midwest Regional, curb-stomping Alabama and Tennessee, they locked up the school’s ninth Final Four berth. Amidst the net-cutting ceremony and the falling confetti celebration, we caught up to Cadeau. The Wolverines had just beaten Nate Ament and the Volunteers by more than 30.
In Dusty We Trusty
Michigan became favorites to win it all once the first weekend of the tournament was over and it was easy to see why. This March Madness didn’t jusrt crown a champion, it verified who the best tean was this season.
Behind Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player and Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Landeborg, and star power forward Morez Johnson, the Maize and Blue very much looked the part, nearly all season long.
And head coach Dusty May might be among the best at what he does right now.
Elliot Cadeau, the type of point guard who can take over a game without scoring, explained why he transferred in to Ann Arbor from North Carolina.
“He told me that if I came here, we were going to win, so he put his trust in me and I put my trust in him,” the Brooklyn native said amidst the confetti and trophy list celebration that clinched the Final Four in Chicago.
“We didn’t come here thinking we were going to win by 30, but we had confidence in oursleves and we ended up doing it.”
That confidence was with them as they mauled Arizona in the semifinal and beat UConn at their own game of mucking it up in the title tilt.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.