No. 4 UConn faces No. 16 Michigan in a college basketball national championship rematch on Friday in Boston at TD Garden. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, with UConn opening as a 7.5-point favorite and the over/under set at 142.5.
UConn vs. Michigan Betting Preview
UConn enters the season ranked fourth in the country, and head coach Dan Hurley secured his 200th win in an 86-46 victory over Gardner-Webb on Monday. Braylon Mullins scored 20 points, with 11 coming in the second half, while Na’jai Hines contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskies finished the previous campaign with a 34-6 record that concluded with a loss to Michigan in the national title game.
Michigan aims to become the first Big Ten team to secure consecutive national titles, returning guard Elliot Cadeau as its top player. Cadeau averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 assists previously while capturing Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. The Wolverines opened the season with an 84-68 win over Oakland, led by Trey McKenney and Roddy Gayle Jr. with 17 points each, alongside Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella adding 15 points. Michigan ranked ninth nationally last season with 87.3 points per game.
Picks and Predictions
Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 in last year’s national championship game. Although the Wolverines lost their top three scorers to the NBA, they return their fourth and fifth leading scorers in Cadeau and McKenney, while also bolstering the roster by adding the third-ranked overall Class of 2026 combining freshmen and the transfer portal, as noted by 247Sports. Meanwhile, UConn also lost its top two scorers from last season to the NBA.
With both rosters featuring new talent integrated from the transfer portal early in the season, defensive chemistry presents a challenge. Mullins is stepping into a leading offensive role for UConn after averaging 12 points per game last season. A proven computer model projects Michigan to cover the 7.5-point spread in 51% of simulations, while also projecting the Over of 142.5 total points to hit in 69% of simulations.
