Michigan record in championship games: How Wolverines rewrote history with second national title
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Michigan has done plenty of winning on the national stage in its history, from the "Fab Five" to deep tournament runs in 2013 and 2018. Winning the final game has proven to be a monumental challenge.
The Wolverines have struggled in national championship games over the years, losing all but one in a major contrast with their 2026 opponent: the UConn Huskies.
UConn entered 6-0 all-time in national title games, which set the stage for a fascinating dynamic on Monday night because Michigan was such a decisive favorite. In the end, the favorite won and spoiled both historic trends.
Here's a look at Michigan's dismal record in championship games and how history was rewritten against UConn.
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Michigan record in championship games
Michigan is just 1-6 in the national championship game in its history, including 0-4 over its last four appearances.
YearChampionship game resultCoach1965UCLA 91, Michigan 80Dave Strack1976Indiana 86, Michigan 68Johnny Orr1989Michigan 80, Seton Hall 79 (OT)Steve Fisher1992Duke 71, Michigan 51Steve Fisher1993North Carolina 77, Michigan 71Steve Fisher2013Louisville 82, Michigan 76John Beilein2018Villanova 79, Michigan 62John Beilein2026Michigan 69, UConn 63Dusty May1965
Led by All-Americans Cazzie Russell and Bill Buntin, Michigan couldn't contain John Wooden's UCLA team, falling 91-80 in the championship game as Gail Goodrich erupted for 42 points. It was the second of nine titles in a span of 10 years for the Bruins.
1976
1976 was a great year for Michigan, which narrowly won its first two NCAA Tournament games before making a run all the way to the national championship game, but that season will forever be known as Indiana's. The Hoosiers finished off an undefeated season with a blowout victory over the Wolverines in the title game.
1989
Head coach Steve Fisher only took over Michigan at the start of the NCAA Tournament, but the surprise coaching change proved to be exactly what the Wolverines needed. Michigan rattled off six consecutive wins, with the Glen Rice-led team narrowly getting by Illinois and Seton Hall to capture the program's only national championship.
Michigan's only championship game victory came by a hair, as the Wolverines were taken to overtime by Seton Hall and trailed with three seconds remaining before Gerald Greene was controversially called for a foul that put Fisher's squad in position for the win.
1992
The "Fab Five" beat Ohio State and Cincinnati to reach the national championship game, but Jalen Rose, Chris Webber and Juwan Howard were no match for Duke, scoring only 51 points in a blowout national championship game loss.
MORE:What to know about the 'Fab Five'
1993
Michigan's iconic core got a chance at a redo in 1993 but came up short once again, falling 77-71 to North Carolina in the national championship game after taking down Rick Pitino and Kentucky in the national semifinal. The game is known for Chris Webber's timeout call with no timeouts remaining, which was a technical foul to help the Tar Heels seal a win.
2013
Trey Burke was the hero all March long for No. 4 Michigan in 2013, single-handedly beating No. 1 Kansas in the Sweet 16 and powering the Wolverines to the Final Four. After taking care of business against Syracuse in the national semifinal, Louisville saw its title hopes slip away late against Pitino and Louisville in the championship game. The NCAA would later vacate the Cardinals' win, but that was no consolation to Michigan.
2018
A miraculous shot from Jordan Poole revitalized Michigan in the second round, sparking a run to the Final Four, and the Wolverines earned another shot at a national championship after a second-half comeback against Loyola Chicago in the national semifinal. No one was better than Villanova, however, as Michigan found itself in a major hole early in the title game and could not recover in what can be called an uncompetitive game.
2026
After scoring at least 90 points in each of their first five NCAA Tournament games, the Wolverines were taken out of their rhythm by UConn in the title game. Michigan scored only 69 points, but it was enough to outlast a Huskies team that committed far too many fouls and missed open looks. Michigan won its first championship in 37 years and pushed its record in title games to 2-6.
BENDER: Winners and losers from 2026 national championship game
When was Michigan's last championship?
Before the win over UConn, Michigan hadn't won a national championship since 1989.
It had been 37 years since Steve Fisher took over and led Michigan to a title in his first handful of games as head coach, despite numerous talented teams taking the floor for the Wolverines ever since. The "Fab Five" didn't win either of their two championship game appearances, while the 2013 team narrowly lost to Louisville and the 2018 team wasn't a match for Villanova.
Michigan looked like a contender again in 2021 but missed the Final Four as a No. 1 seed after being upset by No. 11 UCLA in the Elite Eight.
In 2026, Michigan finally finished the job once again and catapulted itself into the history books.
When was the Big Ten's last championship?
Michigan isn't the only Big Ten program with a surprising championship drought. In fact, the entire conference has struggled to win the big one.
Before the Wolverines' win over UConn, the Big Ten's last national championship came all the way back in 2000, when Tom Izzo and Michigan State cemented their place in history. Despite title game appearances by Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Illinois and Indiana in the years that followed, no one from the conference finished the job until 2026.