NCAA: Michigan defeats UConn and wins the college title for the second time in its history
The promising Aday Mara becomes the first Spaniard to lift the trophy. Elliott Cadeau, tournament MVP.
Wolverines players watch Landeborg shoot a free throw.
Spain's Aday Mara made history Monday by becoming the first player from his country to become the NCAA tournament champion after the Michigan Wolverines' 69-63 victory over the Connecticut Huskies in the Final Four.
The 6-foot-2 center had a modest night from the stat sheet with eight points and four rebounds, although he was able to influence the game in other ways in his 30 minutes on the court.
A spectacular season and NBA prospects for Mara
In his first two seasons with UCLA, Mara failed to live up to expectations and averaged under seven points per game. However, his ascent has been meteoric in the current campaign, averaging 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Leading indicators point to an early selection in the next edition of the NBA draft for the Zaragoza native.
Elliott Cadeau, Tournament MVP
Elliot Cadeau with 19 points and Yaxel Lendeborg with 13 were among the other standout performers in a historic night for Michigan at Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis), which registered an attendance of 70,720 fans. Cadeau, a 21-year-old native of Sweden, was named the Tournament MVP.
The Wolverines faced plenty of challenges on the night, losing the rebounding battle 43-36 and connecting on just 2 of 15 attempts from 3-point range. Michigan captured its first national title since the 1989 season and denied the Huskies a third championship in the last four years.
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