The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will come to a close Monday night as the No. 2 seed UConn Huskies face the No. 1 seed Michigan Wolverines for the national championship. UConn punched its ticket with a 71-62 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, while Michigan delivered one of the most dominant performances of the tournament, cruising past the Arizona Wildcats by a score of 91-73 in the Final Four.
Ahead of the matchup, Miami Heat legend Shaquille O'Neal appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and offered his perspective on what to expect.
“I thought Michigan was going to have problems at Arizona, but they manhandled Arizona,” O’Neal said. “Very physical on the inside, shoot the ball very well. There’s going to be a tough matchup.”
However, O’Neal still made it clear he doesn’t expect that same level of dominance in the title game.
“But one thing I know about coach Dan Hurley, he’s going to have his guys ready to compete,” O’Neal added. “And I think it’s going to be a close game. I don’t think Michigan’s going to manhandle UConn like they did Arizona.”
Hurley and UConn are looking to clinch their third national championship in four years. He has turned down NBA head coaching offers to stick with the Huskies.
There’s also a subtle Miami Heat connection tied to the championship. Jack May, a former Florida Atlantic Owls men's basketball player and current Heat video room intern, is the son of Michigan head coach Dusty May.
There are multiple players in this game expected to enter the draft who Miami could target with their first-round draft choice. UConn guard Braylon Mullins has been predicted to join the Heat in a previous Bleacher Report mock draft. He is notable for hitting the now-iconic shot to beat Duke in the Elite Eight.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg is also projected to be a mid-first-round pick. He was viewed by many as the best transfer in the NCAA last offseason and now he has helped lead Michigan to the title game. The Heat could be looking at either player as at the moment, they could be selecting inside the top 20 picks this upcoming draft.
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