No. 4 UConn and No. 16 Michigan meet Friday night at TD Garden in Boston in a neutral-site rematch of the 2026 national championship game, which Michigan won 69-63 on April 6. The Huskies are 7.5-point favorites at DraftKings, attracting about 75% of tickets and handle, while the total sits at 142.5. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Both programs have combined for three of the last four national titles. UConn coach Dan Hurley, who led the Huskies to championships in 2023 and 2024, reportedly turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from the Los Angeles Lakers. Michigan's title-winning coach Dusty May departed for the Dallas Mavericks, prompting the promotion of assistant Mike Boynton Jr., formerly head coach at Oklahoma State, who oversaw the nation's top-ranked defense last season.
Michigan lost three players selected in the top 12 of the 2026 NBA Draft: Morez Johnson Jr. (No. 9 to Dallas), Yaxel Lendeborg (No. 11 to Golden State), and Aday Mara (No. 12 to Oklahoma City). Returning guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKinney, both on the 2027 Naismith Trophy watch list, combined for 24 points, eight assists, and four steals in a season-opening 84-68 win over Oakland.
UConn opened with an 86-46 rout of Gardner-Webb, giving Hurley his 200th career victory at Connecticut. Sophomore center Na'Jai Hines, a Seton Hall transfer, posted 12 points and 12 rebounds in his debut, the first Husky double-double in a debut since 2024. Preseason Big East Player of the Year Silas Demary Jr. scored five points.
This is only the 11th meeting since 1996 between the previous season's finalists the following year. Defending champions are 6-4 in those games. Projection models differ: one has UConn winning 78-71, while Haslametrics predicts a one-point Huskies victory. The betting pick offered is Michigan +8.5 on the alternate spread at -138.
