The college hoops season is down to its final game. After April 5th, 2026, the college basketball season will go away for about seven months. We’ll have a few coaching changes, transfer portal updates, and The Basketball Tournament. However, outside of those events, it’s going to be a challenge to get a college basketball fix for a while. We still have one game left, and it would be wrong not to look for as many angles as possible. The lines have been reviewed, the numbers have been crunched, and we’ve got a few national championship picks you’ll want to lock up. Let’s get into it.
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2026 NCAA Tournament: National Championship Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets
UConn (3) vs Michigan: The Point Spread
Michigan shot the ball incredibly well in its Final Four win over Arizona. The Wolverines made 44% of their three-point shots and shot 44% from the field against the Wildcats. They’re due for a bit of regression in shooting. Michigan shot 37% from deep-range during the season, and UConn can defend the perimeter.
UConn also won’t turn the ball over 14 times like Arizona did. The Huskies only averaged 10.8 turnovers per game this year, and they’ve taken care of the ball incredibly well in the postseason.
UConn head coach Dan Hurley has made the NCAA tournament in six straight years. He’s only lost three times in the tournament over that stretch. Hurley may not out-coach Michigan’s Dusty May, but he’s also not going to get out-coached.
Michigan also has big man Yaxel Lendeborg dealing with a couple of different leg injuries. Lendeborg will be limited if he plays. He’s a huge part of what the Wolverines do, especially on defense.
Let’s roll with UConn catching 7.5 points. The Huskies don’t have the roster Michigan does, but they play within their system, rarely make mistakes, and can really shoot. The Huskies keep this within the number.
Best Bet: UConn +7.5
UConn (3) vs Michigan: The Game Total
Both teams enter this game with a record that favors the under. Michigan went under in 21 out of 39 games played, while UConn stayed under the number in 22 out of 39 games played. UConn has gone under in three out of five games played in the NCAA tournament. However, Michigan has only gone under once in five games in this year’s tournament. This should be a tighter affair than Michigan just played.
It’s sweaty to play unders with Michigan because they’re capable of putting up 80+ against just about anyone, but there are a few different game scripts that can keep us under the number. Shooting regression and a slow pace should help us stay below 145.5. Let’s lock up this game under the game total.
Best Bet: Game Total Under 145.5
UConn (3) vs Michigan: Player Props
This is one of the easier plays on the board. Michigan center Aday Mara averaged 12.2 points per game, but his workload in the postseason has been a bit heavier. He has gone over 13.5 points in three out of five tournament games played. He just toasted Arizona for 26 with his family in attendance in Indianapolis. His family is staying for the NCAA tournament final. There’s no reason to think his minutes will get limited, or he won’t be a key cog in the Wolverines’ offense.
Mara only missed going over 13.5 points against Tennessee and Alabama. He only played 18 minutes against the Volunteers and didn’t need to be as involved on the offensive end against Alabama. Minutes and involvement won’t be an issue in a championship game against UConn.
UConn has a pair of seven-footers on its roster, but only one sees minutes and only as a backup. If UConn is expecting Eric Reibe to handle Aday Mara, it’s going to be a long night. Lock up Mara to go higher than 13.5 points.
Best Bet: Aday Mara higher than 13.5 points
UConn (3) vs Michigan: Game Props
A lot of the game total numbers currently listed, unless the markets start to move, most of these are stay-aways.
Let’s roll with a little parlay for our game prop. Elliot Cadeau has dished out at least eight assists in four of his last six games played. Michigan is also a heavy favorite on the moneyline, but putting the two together gets us close to plus money. Cadeau has really stepped up as a distributor during the tournament, and he should play close to 40 minutes in the championship game. Let’s ride with Cadeau to get at least eight assists and the Wolverines to get the win.
Elliot Cadeau to have at least eight assists and Michigan to win +180
The College Basketball Experience
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