The stage is set for the men’s NCAA Tournament championship clash! The Connecticut Huskies, under the guidance of head coach Dan Hurley, are poised to take on the Michigan Wolverines, led by Dusty May.

The teams approach the game with contrasting styles and have experienced differing levels of success in championship scenarios. Historically, the Huskies have been unbeatable in title matches, boasting a perfect 6-0 record, including triumphs in 2023 and 2024. In contrast, the Wolverines have struggled, with a record of 1-6 in these high-stakes matchups, their latest defeat being at the hands of Villanova in 2018.

As we anticipate this year’s outcome, predictions remain elusive—if only our brackets could foresee the future! Nevertheless, examining the paths these teams took to reach this point offers insight, along with spotlighting the standout earners on each side.

Michigan is led by Yaxel Landeborg (23), the Big Ten Player of the Year and the team’s highest NIL earner. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

UConn Huskies

UConn has had an impressive season, securing second place in both the Big East regular season and conference tournament with an outstanding 34-5 record. Their journey included notable victories over formidable opponents such as BYU, Texas, Kansas (away), Illinois, and Florida, with the latter two games unfolding at Madison Square Garden.

How They Got Here

While notable first and second-round games like High Point vs. Wisconsin and Kentucky vs. Santa Clara kept fans on the edge of their seats, UConn’s most thrilling encounter was their 73-72 win against Duke in the Elite Eight. The game was marked by a dramatic 19-point comeback and a heart-stopping final play where Braylon Mullins nailed a 35-foot three-pointer, securing the Huskies’ spot in the Final Four. In case you missed that breathtaking moment:

Earlier in the tournament, UConn also experienced a tense moment in their Sweet Sixteen match against Michigan State, allowing the Spartans to erase a 19-point deficit before ultimately clinching a four-point victory. Despite other games being close until the final minutes, UConn managed to secure comfortable wins each time:

The Huskies gave up a 19-point lead of their own the round prior, letting the Michigan State Spartans come back late during the teams’ Sweet Sixteen matchup. But UConn prevailed with a four-point win. Their other three games this tournament have all been single-digit contests in the final few minutes, but UConn has won fairly comfortably each time:

First Round: 82-71 win over Furman

Second Round: 73-57 win over UCLA

Sweet Sixteen: 67-63 win over Michigan State

Elite Eight: 73-72 win over Duke

Final Four: 71-62 win over Illinois

How Much Does Dan Hurley Make?

Dan Hurley is the mercurial coach on the sidelines for the Huskies. He spent six seasons at Rhode Island before joining UConn in March of 2018. He’s won nearly 73% of his games in six years in Storrs, reaching the tournament every year. The Huskies won titles in 2023 and 2024, and are going for a third championship in four seasons.

After that 2024 championship, Hurley’s name was on the shortlist as the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Instead, the animated coach stayed with UConn, agreeing to a six-year, $50 million contract extension. Hurley’s deal also includes retention and performance bonuses, so when he has winning seasons like this one, it can lead to quite a bit of extra money.

During the 2025 calendar year, Hurley made $10.4 million, per school payroll records. His annual pay is about $6.4 million before all of those bonuses. In 2026, he’s already made $775,000 in performance bonuses and can net another $500,000 if the Huskies win it all. He’ll receive an additional $1 million as a retention bonus in November 2026.

Who Are UConn’s Highest-Paid Players?

The Huskies have a reported $5 million budget for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Throughout this season, forward Alex Karaban—who won titles with the 2023 and 2024 Huskies—has revealed NIL partnerships with Ramp, NBA 2K, Great Clips, and CVS, the latter a joint announcement with teammates Tarris Reed Jr. and Solo Ball before UConn’s Final Four matchup with Illinois. Karaban has spent his entire collegiate career with UConn, and his NIL earnings are estimated at $485,000.

That makes him the third-highest earner on the team. Silas Demary Jr., a junior guard who transferred from Georgia, is earning the most for UConn at $1.1 million. Second is freshman guard Braylon Mullins, at $803,000, whose shot in the Elite Eight will make the university millions of dollars. And don’t worry, Mullins is planning to cash in on his shot—he’s just waiting until after the season to do it.

Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines lost an exhibition game against Cincinnati on October 17 and earned close regular-season wins against St. John’s, Wake Forest, and TCU. Their smallest margin of victory over the next six games was 25 points, a stretch that included three wins by a collective 110 points in the Players Era Championship against San Diego State, Auburn, and Gonzaga. The Wolverines have only lost three times this year, winning the Big Ten regular season and posting a 36-3 record heading into the championship.

How They Got Here

To put it bluntly, Michigan has reached the title game by soundly beating every team they’ve faced. The Wolverines have scored at least 90 points in all five of their NCAA Tournament games, the first school to ever do that. Perhaps their biggest scares have been trailing 49-47 at halftime against Alabama, and only leading Howard by four at the break of the 1-16 matchup. Outside of that, Michigan has looked virtually unstoppable.

First Round: 101-80 victory over Howard

Second Round: 95-72 victory over Saint Louis

Sweet Sixteen: 90-77 victory over Alabama

Elite Eight: 95-62 victory over Tennessee

Final Four: 91-73 victory over Arizona

How Much Does Dusty May Make?

Dusty May has only been a head coach for a grand total of eight seasons, but he’s already reached the Final Four with two different programs: FAU and Michigan. He led the 9-seeded Owls to the Final Four in 2023, and was a buzzer-beater away from facing UConn in that year’s title game (instead, San Diego State went onto the matchup against the Huskies).

This Michigan team is more talented overall than that FAU squad, but that hasn’t made May’s work any less impressive. The Wolverines were 26-40 in the two seasons before May arrived. Last year, he led his team to the Sweet 16. Now, they’re a win away from the program’s first championship since 1989.

May signed a new contract with Michigan in February 2025 after being the team’s coach for less than a year. His base salary is worth $4.6 million this season and will increase to $4.85 million next year. He’ll make $150,000 in a retention bonus on April 30, and can earn another $400,000 if Michigan wins the title.

Despite signing a new deal just about a year ago, May could get another raise this offseason. Winning tends to make programs open their pocketbooks.

Who Are Michigan’s Highest-Paid Players?

Like with UConn’s NIL amounts, these earnings don’t need to be publicly reported anywhere, so it’s a bit of an educated guess by analysts and journalists. Michigan basketball’s entire NIL budget is estimated at about $10.5 million, with On3 estimating the Wolverines have two of the most-expensive deals for Morez Johnson (an Illinois transfer) and Yaxel Lendeborg (who played at UAB before Michigan). Both guys have NIL valuations of $2 million.

Regardless of who wins the championship, both of these teams have had spectacular seasons. Now let’s hope we get a title game to remember.