In that unknown land of American college basketball, in the media frenzy of the NCAA March Madness, whose Final Four barely falls short of the Super Bowl in anticipation and viewership, a giant from Zaragoza. Like Fernando Martín in his day as a pioneer in the NBA or Pau Gasol winning rings years later, Aday Mara lifted the trophy at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in front of 70,000 spectators. Unique moments. He did it as the absolute protagonist of Michigan, who defeated UConn (63-69) to become champions 37 years after their only title.
Aday, who turns 21 today, celebrated his first day of glory in basketball with eight points and four rebounds, nearly 30 minutes on the court, indispensable for the champion. The first of many successes for a guy who suddenly saw his career come to a halt in the most unexpected place. From Casademont Zaragoza, where he made his debut at 17 in the ACB, to UCLA to develop his talent at 221 centimeters, although no one believed in him there. After two years of frustration, the move to Michigan has reactivated the unicorn, who is now skyrocketing in the projections for the upcoming draft (already among the top 15). His defensive display in the final confirmed his amazing tournament. If in the semifinals he dominated Alabama with 26 points and nine rebounds, against the Huskies' machinery (the team that won the title in 2023 and 2024), his work was tougher in his matchup with the powerful Tarris Reed.
This is the second title in Michigan's history, following the one achieved in 1989 by that team led by Glen Rice. Not even their most remembered team, the legendary Fab Five (Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King), managed to do it in 1992 or 1993. Their last final was in 2018 (defeat against Villanova). This time, the team recruited by Dusty May, which entered the final with a record of 36-3 and having crushed all their opponents in the March Madness (from 21 to Howard, 23 to Saint Louis, 13 to Alabama, 33 to Tennessee, and 18 in the semifinal against Arizona, the country's number one), scoring at least 90 points against all, did not fail, dominating the final from start to finish.
And that was despite a tense and close start to the game, with more misses than hits. Aday himself, a starter, still with the memory of his resounding semifinal against Arizona - the best performance of his life - missed three hooks near the hoop. UConn relied on Alex Karaban's three-pointers and offensive rebounds (a torture all night for their opponent), while Michigan tried to dominate the paint with Morez Jonhson, who was off target from the perimeter. The Spaniard showed only a couple of flashes in the first half, a block and his first basket, consecutive actions that lifted the Lucas Oil Arena, where his family, his agent, and the coach Chus Mateo were present.
Just before halftime, the man from Zaragoza became important again with an assist to showcase his praised passing ability and two more consecutive baskets in the paint, both with his left hand, to give the Wolverines an advantage once again, lacking three-pointers, with eight missed in the first 20 minutes, and with their star, Yaxel Lendeborg, clearly hindered physically by his ankle injury.
Upon returning, despite the string of turnovers, Michigan extended their lead (33-41). Even more so when, finally, Eliott Cadeau scored his team's first three-pointer (37-48), capping what was already an outstanding performance by the Swedish point guard. Mara exchanged shots with his 230-centimeter wingspan and battled for rebounds with Reed.
But UConn's aggressiveness and experience kept them from falling behind, playing physical basketball to attempt a comeback, broken with Mara back on the court and the stands on their feet when he finished a fast break with an alley-oop. In the end, Michigan did not falter against an opponent laden with fouls. A three-pointer, the second for his team in the entire game, by McKenney was decisive, despite some final difficulties and nerves, without Aday on the court.