- NCAAM. Why March Madness legend Bill Raftery has lied about his age since he began his career
- NCAAM. Why Bryce James didn't play for Arizona in the Final Four
Given that Michigan was the clear favorite heading into the National Championship, it's no surprise they ended up beating UConn to culminate a truly outstanding run in the NCAA Tournament. But it certainly wasn't easy, and it was the Wolverines' toughest test.
As has become customary, Dan Hurley's UConn squad refused to go away. There was a chance to cut the lead to four points late in the game, but ultimately Michigan hung on and rightfully earned the title. Hurley, as ever, was animated throughout the game. There weren't many controversial moments for Hurley in this one, though, and it has a lot to do with the referees.
Dan Hurley praised championship game refs despite UConn getting worse whistle
Hurley never seems to see eye-to-eye with refs, but he actually had no qualms about the way the championship game was officiated. In fact, the coach took things a step further and praised the refs for the way they called a tough one to officiate.
"It's such a physical game. Michigan is so physical... A problem for our team has been undisciplined fouling at times. It's hard to ref that game. We both played so hard. That's not an easy game to officiate. If I could have those three guys ref every game the rest of my career, I would sleep well at night."
UConn and Hurley could have had some gripes about the foul margin, as Michigan was called for much less and ended up shooting way more free throws. UConn ended up committing nine more fouls than Michigan, leading to the Wolverines shooting 12 more free throws over the course of the game.
The Wolverines making nearly all of their free throw attempts very well could have been the difference in the game. But Hurley believes those free throws were earned fairly in a tightly contested game.