UConn slows down Michigan, but physical play can't make up for poor shooting in title game loss

INDIANAPOLIS — UConn executed coach Dan Hurley's game plan in Monday night's national championship slugfest against Michigan. The Huskies were physical, controlled the pace and held the Wolverines' potent offense in check. But this time, the big shots that propelled them to the cusp of a third national championship in four seasons simply didn't fall. Not for fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins, not for record-breaking forward Alex Karaban, not even for Malachi Smith, who missed a layup with seven seconds left that might have kept hope alive in Storrs, Connecticut. Instead, UConn came up short in a 69-63 loss, its first in seven title game appearances, thwarting its chance to become the first team since the UCLA dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s to win three crowns in such quick succession. "This is where you wanted to be. It hasn't set in yet," Hurley said. "On the flight it'll set in, on the bus ride back. Eventually it'll hit you that you were close to pulling off what would have been a historic third championship. But this team just gave us so much this year — just didn't make enough shots." UConn picked the wrong time to shoot a season-low 30.9 percent from the field and a dismal 27.3 percent from 3-point range. The Huskies were even worse in the second half: 28.9 percent from the field and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. Maybe UConn didn't have enough fight left after it survived the tourney's top seed, Duke, in the regional finals and won a 71-62 bruiser against Illinois on Saturday night. It was UConn's first loss after the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2011, ending a 19-game winning streak in the toughest parts of the bracket. Michigan, which won its second national title and first since 1989, also brought plenty of physicality to the matchup. The Wolverines held each of their last four opponents to season-low shooting percentages. They relied on the Big Ten's brand of bully ball to get UConn into foul trouble, win the wrestling matches for loose balls and eventually wear down the perimeter shooters who had saved UConn in its incredible 19-point comeback against Duke before doing it again when things got close late against Illinois. This time, the Huskies' shooters came up empty. Mullins scored 11 points on 4-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-10 on threes. After opening the game by making his first two shots, Karaban made three of his next 12 and converted only one of the final eight 3-point attempts of his brilliant career. Nobody else was much better. Big man Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds but was 4-of-12 from the field. And while Mullins and Karaban combined for six threes, the rest of the team was 3-of-13 beyond the arc. "We came up short, missed some shots we normally make, but we gave it our all," Karaban said. The shooting woes were compounded by UConn's foul trouble. Reed, Solo Ball and Silas Demary Jr. finished the first half on the bench with two fouls. Ball picked up his third just 29 seconds into the second half and his fourth with 16:20 remaining. He finished with 11 points but had no assists while playing on a sprained left foot. "It's definitely frustrating not being on the court for that long, and it hurts my team at the moment," Ball sad. "But this has been the most fun year of my life with this group of guys, and I just cherish this team." Even though UConn held Michigan to its worst shooting of the tournament — 38.2 percent — the Huskies came up just short too many times. "I'm not real emotional. Players are crying a lot more than I am," Hurley said. "It's hard to be upset with your team. We lost the game because we missed. We missed — we didn't make enough shots."