UConn, Michigan Working to Finalize College Basketball Rematch: Report
Michigan and UConn went head-to-head in this year’s NCAA Tournament National Championship Game, with Dusty May’s Wolverines emerging as the champions against Dan Hurley’s Huskies squad.
UConn went on a magical run throughout the East region of the tournament field, even ousting the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils in an epic comeback win. Michigan rolled past another No. 1 seed, the Arizona Wildcats, to reach the championship game.
And Hurley’s Huskies kept fighting until the end, seeming capable of potentially pulling off another big upset. However, Michigan was too much for UConn to handle in the final game of the tournament, capturing a 69-63 win behind 19 points from guard Elliot Cadeau.
Now, these two teams could meet again in a rematch, with rosters that underwent significant changes after their championship battle.
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On Wednesday, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported, citing multiple sources, that UConn and Michigan are “working to finalize an agreement to meet in a neutral site game on November 6th at TD Garden in Boston.”
Both teams have seen big changes since their meeting in April, with players departing due to being seniors, ineligible, or heading to the NBA Draft. They included Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara for Michigan and Tarris Reed Jr. and Alex Karaban for UConn.
The Huskies added several starters from the transfer portal, including Najai Hines from Pittsburgh and Nikolas Khamenia from Duke. Additionally, Braylon Mullins made the decision to return for his sophomore season rather than enter the NBA Draft.
Meanwhile, May signed forwards and centers from the portal to rebuild the Wolverines’ frontcourt, including former LSU forward Jalen Reed and Tennessee forward/center J.P. Estrella.
Last season, Hurley and UConn had exhibition and early-season games against multiple opponents whom they later met in the NCAA Tournament, including the Michigan State Spartans and the Illinois Fighting Illini. They won those early matchups in 2025, which may have helped them in their rematches in the East region of the tournament.
Other teams that were on Hurley’s early schedule included the Kansas Jayhawks, BYU Cougars, Arizona Wildcats, and Florida Gators, all of whom made the NCAA Tournament. The Florida game was a rematch involving the team that knocked UConn out of the 2025 NCAA Tournament ahead of the Sweet 16.
There were reports of a UConn-Duke rematch for the upcoming college basketball season. These rematches would add significant games to the teams’ schedules, potentially helping boost their NCAA Tournament resumes.
According to Rothstein, there is no timetable yet for UConn and Michigan to finalize the agreement for their Nov. 6 game in Boston.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 6:41 PM.