Brendan Coyle validated his hometown career by winning the MAAC Tournament as a senior.
Now, he's back for year five. He's the conduit between the championship culture and the new era.
My column for @mid-majormadness.bsky.social
www.midmajormadness.com/metro-atlant...
INDIANAPOLIS — Ten days before the Division III National Championship Game, Colin Mitchell was at his grandfather's funeral.
The next time he saw his family, they were in Indianapolis, watching him become Mary Washington's unlikely buzzer-beating hero. www.midmajormadness.com/general/3534...
INDIANAPOLIS - There are so many storylines after Michigan's national championship win. I collected quotes on many of them from Warde Manuel, Dusty May, three assistant coaches, Elliot Cadeau, and five other players
For @basketunderreview.bsky.social www.basketunderreview.com/the-victors-...
Last media timeout of the season. Michigan is up 60-51 with 3:48 to play and the Huskies have had so many opportunities.
A cosmic relief cheer from the Michigan fanbase -- which is incredibly loud inside Lucas Oil. Stadium Pulse is bumping.
Elliot Cadeau drills Michigan's first three. Wolverines take their largest lead at 11.
48-37 Michigan with 12:47 to play
HALFTIME: Michigan 33, UConn 29
UConn is winning the 50-50 balls, Michigan hasn't made a shot outside the paint, and the Wolverines are still up by 4.
But on the other hand, UConn got killed by foul trouble, and will get Ball/Demary back. Interesting swings coming up.
Solo Ball did his absolute best fronting Morez in the low post, and held him for a second, but Johnson got enough space to receive the pass in drop in the game's first points.
Tarris responds with a hook. 2-2
Lander scores first 4
Gannon scores next 5
Lander scores next 5
Gannon scores next 15
Lander scores next 6
Gannon scores next 8
The teams have not traded baskets once today. 28-15 Gannon
INDIANAPOLIS — Yaxel Lendeborg wanted to make one thing clear in his locker room scrum
“I’m playing Monday night regardless.”
Much much more on that and more from Michigan’s postgame locker room on Saturday for Basket Under Review www.basketunderreview.com/yaxels-injur...
FINAL: Michigan 91, Arizona 73
Wow. Michigan with an all-time performance. The Wolverines led by as many as 30 and never trailed.
Michigan vs UConn on Monday night.
HALFTIME: Michigan 48, Arizona 32
Michigan is just punking Arizona. Playing at their pace, dominating in so many departments even with Lendeborg hurt. Cadeau is 2-14 but controlling the game.
Aday Mara has 15 points. Can't think of a bigger deficit Arizona has faced all year
Jaden Bradley has three fouls in the first half.
Big 12 Player of the Year called for an offensive foul and then Trey McKenney cans a trey on the other end, and Michigan goes back up by 12. 35-23
Krivas 0-2 from the line. Kharchenkov misses a front-end.
Arizona will probably regret that.
And there's a touchdown for Arizona. 7 points in a row and it's down to a 28-21 game. Dusty May calls a timeout.
Ivan Kharchenkov drills a three, and then the Cats force a Mara 3PA -- not a good shot in Michigan's shot diet.
Krivas scores on the other end.
Michigan 10
Arizona 3
15:59 | 1H (so close)
Jaden Bradley finally gets Arizona's first field goal with a jumper, and then Mo Krivas shadows Aday Mara and stops him from an easy layup after a long touchdown pass. Can the Wildcats settle in?
This game is being played at Michigan's pace, and now the Wolverines force a turnover and turn it into a Morez Johnson and-1.
There feels to be a speed gap right now.
8-0 Michigan run. It's 10-1 Wolverines.
Two fouls on Yaxel Lendeborg within five seconds.
First Team All-American goes to the bench just over a minute into the game. Gayle in.
Ben Humrichous with a huge play on the offensive glass, but couldn't convert. Stojakovic could though. Had the lane even in a crowded paint.
It's an Illini #killshot with 5:01 to play. Underwood timeout
57-53 Huskies
Illini in the double bonus
The iron KIND for Solo Ball.
A major friendly roll from the top of the key after Illini fans had gotten loud after a bucket.
UConn back ahead by 12, 52-40
HALFTIME: UConn 37, Illinois 29
Big defensive play by Ben Humrichous to get a hand on Ross' dunk on the final play of the half. Forced a tie-up. Also Wagler has made a few key plays to keep Illinois from falling way behind.
Mullins 12p to lead the way. Demary 7r/5a
Solo Ball drove into a little bit of space created by Illinois' coverage, kicked to the corner as the defense sucked in, and Karaban drilled a three.
Largest lead for the Huskies.
UConn 34, Illinois 24
That's an unreal play by Braylon Mullins to eurostep Humrichous and draw the foul on Mirkovic with the and-1.
9 for Mullins. UConn by 4
UConn has only scored three points in the last 6:56. The Illini are on a 13-3 run as well, and have started to assert their size in the paint.
Reed had 7 early ones, but nothing since. Teams are a combined 6-24 from deep.
Illinois 22, UConn 21, 6:25
First lead of the game for Illinois as Tomislav Ivisic connects from the top of the key on a wide-open look.
Seems like UConn is okay giving him a look like that every once in a while, just like November. 22-21 Illini
Keaton Wagler from downtown and the Illini are on the board from deep.
But the Huskies respond. Jayden Ross with his second triple.
UConn 18
Illinois 12
11:25 | 1H
Andrej Stojakovic is the only Illini to have scored in the last five minutes. Huskies doing a good job forcing the looks that they want Illinois to take, just like the first game.
Big Red time.
Tarris Reed is cooking. UConn 18, Illinois 9
UConn continues to generate good looks from beyond the arc. Even though Karaban couldn't connect on that one, the Huskies grabbed the offensive board. Then Demary missed from the corner, and Reed put it back with the and-1.
Huskies good on the glass right now. Ahead 10-7
The Indiana kid has a hot start. Braylon Mullins comes off a screen on the left wing for his second triple of the game already. The Huskies take an early 8-2 lead.