The Michigan Wolverines are finally national champions once more in men’s basketball, taking down the UConn Huskies, 69-63, to finish a thrilling NCAA Tournament in style at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.

This is the first time Michigan has won since 1989, and just the second time in program history they’ve called themselves champions.

Meanwhile, the Huskies were looking to win their third title in the last four tournaments, but their shooting failed them in the end.  

While both teams’ offenses came into this game working like a machine, it was a low-scoring affair to kick off this game. Michigan only owned a 33-29 first-half lead by the buzzer, but it wasn’t Yaxel Lendeborg leading the way in the points department for the Wolverines.

The Michigan star, who is playing on a sprained left MCL and left ankle, which came during the win over Arizona in the Final Four, was just 1-of-5 shooting for four points in the first half. It was Morez Johnson Jr. (10 points) and Elliot Cadeau (seven points) finding some rhythm for the Wolverines.

UCONN’S DAN HURLEY HEARS BOOS AFTER FINAL FOUR WIN OVER ILLINOIS

But it didn’t help that Michigan was scoreless from beyond the arc and shooting just 37% from the field. Meanwhile, UConn wasn’t doing themselves any favors either.

The Huskies shot just 33% in the first half, with Alex Karaban hitting two of his five three-point attempts. Solo Ball, who was spotted in a walking boot entering the game with “some type of foot sprain,” according to head coach Dan Hurley, had eight points on 3-of-4 from the field.

While they were down, UConn was certainly playing the type of game they wanted against Michigan – a rugged battle, especially on the glass. Michigan has shown its prowess of taking momentum and sprinting with it offensively, dominating opponents all year long, including this NCAA Tournament.

However, the Huskies know their scratching and clawing abilities for 40 minutes allow them to never let an opponent feel comfortable. Just ask the Duke Blue Devils what happened in the Final Four.

The Huskies had that same demeanor in the second half, though it didn’t help they took a page out of the Wolverines’ first-half playbook – they couldn’t find the stroke from range. UConn was desperate to hit a three-pointer, but despite open looks, they couldn’t get one to fall as the Michigan lead eventually got to 11 points after Cadeau finally broke the seal for his squad on the opposite end, burying a three-pointer to get to a double-digit lead.

But Hurley was firing up the crowd as the Huskies never quit, cutting the lead to five with less than nine minutes to play in the game. Lendeborg, though, after shaking his head on the bench as he wasn’t having the game he hoped for in the national championship, stepped up when he checked back in.

Lendeborg saw a sweet pass from Cadeau in transition and got the lead back to 11 with a tough layup, making it 56-45 with less than six minutes to play. He would also come in the clutch with another two points following a Braylon Mullins three-pointer.

Once again, the Huskies wouldn’t quit, as Mullins finally found his shot beyond the arc, knocking that Michigan lead back to single digits with a follow-up three-pointer again to Lendeborg’s layups. But, just as gritty as the Huskies played, the Wolverines seemed to always have the answer in this hard-fought contest.

A key example of that was, after Karaban buried a three-pointer to cut the Michigan lead to six, Trey McKenney stepped back and drilled a 26-footer with 1:49 left in the game to get the lead back to nine points. The Wolverines faithful in the crowd went ballistic, knowing how much that basket meant considering what UConn has been able to do in this tournament.

With 37 seconds left in the game, Ball got some help from the backboard, making a three-pointer to cut the lead to 67-63 for the Wolverines. Roddy Gayle Jr. made things more interesting in this game, as he couldn’t knock down his two free throw attempts for Michigan. But Karaban didn’t have another clutch three-pointer in him, coming up short with 13 seconds left.

That was it for UConn’s desperation attempt, and Michigan celebrated their win.

In the box score, Cadeau led all scorers with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Lendeborg was just 4-of-13, though he still had 13 points. Johnson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolverines as well.

Cadeau was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.

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Michigan was just 2-of-15 from the three-point line, and head coach Dusty May even noted after the game getting dominated on the glass, as they were out-rebounded by UConn, 46-39.

The Huskies, though, couldn’t find it offensively. Karaban finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but shot just 4-of-14 and 3-of-10 from three-point territory. Tarris Reed Jr. had a double-double as well with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Mullins, the hero against Duke with his half-court shot, was only 4-of-17 for 11 points.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods is everywhere and nowhere at Augusta National this week.

In the wake of last month’s rollover car accident and DUI charge, the five-time Masters winner has stepped away from golf indefinitely and reportedly could be receiving treatment in Switzerland for an addiction to painkillers.

“He’s not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well,” fellow competitor Jason Day said. “He’s had 25 to 30-something surgeries, and when you’re going through that many procedures, it’s painful coming out of those procedures. I’ve had procedures done and I typically try and stay away from all that stuff because I just know that — painkillers, there can potentially be a downfall to it.”

Harris English, playing in his seventh Masters, said he took an interest in golf after watching Woods at Augusta in 1997.

“I know he’s going to get through this,” English said. “He has a big fight ahead of him. He’s a fighter. That’s what he does. He’s going to get through it and come out a better man and a better person. We hope to see him soon.”

This marks the first time since 1994 that neither Woods nor Phil Mickelson is playing in the Masters. Mickelson announced last week that he was pulling out of the tournament because of a “personal health matter” in his family.

In one sense, it’s the end of a storied era. But it might be more on the minds of the patrons than the other competitors in the field.

“With great respect to those two players, I hadn’t thought about it,” said Justin Rose, who lost to Rory McIlroy in a Masters playoff last year. “Yeah, they’ve both been obviously titans of the game for the last three decades. Clearly in a tournament like this, if you’re a past champion, you get an opportunity to come back — whether they’re 1,000 in the world or 500 in the world or whatever current rankings may be, their stature is way more elevated than that in the game of golf and always will be.

“Yeah, it’s always a loss to not have either of them in a field anywhere. To your point, I hadn’t noticed it yet. Therefore, we’re all kind of in our own lane, so to speak.”

Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson said in the case of Woods, golf isn’t — and shouldn’t be — part of the discussion.

“I [couldn’t] care less about Tiger’s golf,” Watson said. “I’ve always been in his ear. I told him that I wanted to be here for his next major. I was here in ’19. We were in the champions locker and I made a lot of the champions come down to congratulate him. That was very emotional.

“I told him from Day 1 that we started hanging out back in ‘06, ‘07, somewhere in there, that I’m pulling for him as a human being — forget his golf.”

Woods, 50, was arrested March 27 on Jupiter Island, Fla., following a two-car rollover crash. Deputies said they found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket and noticed he was lethargic and sweating profusely. He recently underwent his seventh back surgery.

“When I look at that, I look at it and go, he’s just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles,” Day said. “It’s unfortunate. The only thing that I don’t understand is that it’s a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way as well. But when you’re the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything, and that’s probably why he’s probably driving a little under the influence.”

Day said it’s most important for Woods to know he has so many people pulling for him.

“It must be tough to be isolated the way he is normally,” he said. “He stays at home pretty much most of the time, doesn’t really get out too much just because of how popular he is as a person. And then when you’re at home, it’s just difficult. Sometimes you don’t have people around — loving people around enough — to be able to steer you in the direction that you need to.

“Golf misses him. We miss him here this week. It’s always better when he’s playing golf tournaments because we love having him around. So it’s a little bit sad to not have him here this week.”

The Masters Tournament is all about tradition, and that includes everything down to what the golfers wear during the four days at Augusta National Golf Club.

That was on display last year when Australian star Jason Day was asked to keep his Malbon Golf outfits a bit more reserved. But it seems that he’s already starting to push the boundary before teeing off for his first round on Thursday.

Day, a former world No. 1 golfer, was spotted on Monday for his practice round in Malbon’s “Birds of Georgia” collection, wearing a top that featured a bunch of different birds, from orioles to cardinals to woodpeckers and more. The outfit was supposed to have matching pants, but it was reported by Sports Illustrated that Day was told by Augusta National to wear normal, solid-colored pants instead.

This came after Malbon dropped Day’s fits for the week on social media.

“If you are on the course and you are tuned in with nature and know the sounds of birds, you’ll make more birdies,” Malbon Golf founder Stephen Malbon told the outlet about Day’s lineup for the week. “It’s inspired by Native American beliefs. Each one of these birds has a different meaning. I’ve been sending the noises of the birds to Jason for the last six months. Hopefully, he’s trying to stay in touch with nature.”

Throughout the week, Day’s birdwatcher-themed outfits will even feature a vest, set for Wednesday’s practice round.

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Day isn’t the only Malbon athlete in the field either. Sungjae Im will be rocking Malbon’s bird-themed clothing.

In 2024, Day made national headlines with his first Masters collaboration with Malbon. He was spotted wearing a vest that had “No. 313. Malbon Golf Championship” written across it in bold lettering with accompanying blue, baggy pants.

But, when Day showed up to the course for his next round, which came on the same day due to a rainout on Thursday, the vest was no longer being worn.

Day revealed that Augusta National told him to remove the sweater, and as he didn’t want to ruffle any feathers during the first major of the year, he did what he was told.

“My agent got a call from high above and said, ‘Hey, we need Jason to take that vest off.’”

Day said last year’s original Masters plans were “a lot crazier” than the 2024 lineup, and the Masters requested an early look at what he was expected to wear. Plans had to be changed.

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But, while Day admitted he was “not here to step on anyone’s toes because I know that when we play at the Masters, it’s all about the Masters,” his outfits this week already seem to be pushing the limit.

This will be Day’s 15th Masters Tournament appearance at Augusta National, with his best finish coming in 2011 when he finished tied for second.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.