Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep329: Michigan wins NCAA finals 2026
Transcript
- 0:08Spin the wheel, Let's take a ride.
- 0:11Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
- 0:17Open wide. Come.
- 0:19On. Kids, let's amplify kid cats.
- 0:23Daily starts your day. Fun and laughter come your way.
- 0:29Sports and trivia games galore. Hey kids, Kid Cats Daily is here
- 0:35with another packed episode. Today we have an exciting story
- 0:39from the world of college basketball that happened just
- 0:43two days ago. On Monday, April 6th, the
- 0:46University of Michigan Wolverines won the NCAA Men's
- 0:50Basketball National Championship for the first time since 1989.
- 0:56So let's get on with today's episode.
- 1:09First up in Sports News, let's talk about that huge Michigan
- 1:13win over the UConn Huskies. The game took place at Lucas Oil
- 1:18Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. It was the final game of the
- 1:222026 NCAA Tournament, also called March Madness.
- 1:28Michigan, who was the top seed from the Midwest Region and
- 1:31ranked #3 in the country, beat UConn, the second seed from the
- 1:35East Region and ranked #7. The final score was 69 to 63.
- 1:42Michigan now has a record of 37 wins and just three losses this
- 1:47season. UConn finished with 34 wins and
- 1:51six losses. The game was close from start to
- 1:54finish. At halftime, Michigan LED 33 to
- 1:5829. In the second-half, Michigan
- 2:01pulled ahead and held on for the V1.
- 2:05Key moment came right at the start of the second-half when
- 2:08Nimari Burnett made two free throws that put Michigan up by 6
- 2:13points early in the half. Players like Elliot Caddau
- 2:17scored important points early on.
- 2:19He had a reverse layup plus a foul and scored seven of
- 2:23Michigan's first eleven points. Later, Yaxel Lendeborg, who is
- 2:27the Big 10 player of the year, made big buckets when the team
- 2:31needed them most. There was also a steal by Alex
- 2:34Carabon in his final game and a big three pointer by true
- 2:39freshman Trey McKenna. Moritz Johnson junior helped
- 2:43with a loose ball that led to more points.
- 2:46These plays helped Michigan build a lead of up to 11 points
- 2:50at one time. This is Michigan's second
- 2:52national championship in school history.
- 2:55Their first one was back in 1989, so this is their first
- 2:59title in 37 years. The coach, Dusty May is in his
- 3:04second year with the team and he led them to this big win.
- 3:10After the final buzzer, there was a huge celebration on the
- 3:14court. The trophy presentation was full
- 3:17of cheers and excitement. Players hugged, fans cheered,
- 3:21and everyone was so happy. Yaxel Lendeborg even talked
- 3:26about the win in an on court interview right after.
- 3:29Now let's dig into some more details about how Michigan got
- 3:33to the championship. The NCAA Tournament started
- 3:37weeks ago. The Sweet 16 games were on
- 3:40Thursday, March 26th and Friday, March 27th.
- 3:44Then the Elite 8 on Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March
- 3:4829th. The Final Four was on Saturday,
- 3:51April 4th at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM Eastern Time on TBS at the same
- 3:56stadium in Indianapolis. Michigan made it through all
- 4:00those rounds without losing. They were strong all tournament
- 4:04long and this championship game was like a master class in
- 4:07basketball. They had great defense, steals,
- 4:11and key shots. For kids who love basketball,
- 4:14think about what makes a team win a big game like this.
- 4:18It's teamwork, practice, and staying calm under pressure.
- 4:23Michigan players passed the ball well, defended hard and scored
- 4:27when it counted. U Conn was trying for their
- 4:30third title in four years, but Michigan stopped them.
- 4:35This win means Michigan is now one of the top teams in college
- 4:39basketball history. Shifting to a fun fact about the
- 4:42tournament schedule, all the late rounds happened in
- 4:45Indianapolis this year. Lucas Oil Stadium is a huge
- 4:50place that can hold lots of fans.
- 4:52The championship game started at 8:30 PM Eastern Time on Monday.
- 4:57Thousands of people watched live and millions more saw it on TV
- 5:01or online. Highlights from the final
- 5:04moments show the players jumping up and down, cutting down the
- 5:08Nets from the baskets and lifting the big trophy.
- 5:12Another interesting news item is how Michigan's players stepped
- 5:15up even when things got tough. Yakalanda Borg was banged up but
- 5:20still played great. Elliott Kadow made those early
- 5:23points that set the tone. Freshmen like Trey McKenna hit
- 5:28big threes in their first big tournament.
- 5:31This shows that players of all experience levels can make a
- 5:35difference. Coach Dusty May said it was
- 5:38about having answers for every challenge.
- 5:41The team went 19 to one in the Big 10 Conference during the
- 5:45regular season, which prepared them for this.
- 5:49Let's connect this to some cool history for you history fans.
- 5:53Back in 1989, Michigan also won the national title.
- 5:58That was 37 years ago, before many of your parents were even
- 6:02born. College basketball tournaments
- 6:05like this have been around since 1939.
- 6:08Teams from places like Michigan build rivalries and traditions
- 6:11over time. The Wolverines colors are maze
- 6:15and blue, and their fans sing the victors after wins.
- 6:19This championship adds to their legacy in Science News.
- 6:24To mix it up, did you know basketball involves physics?
- 6:27When players shoot free throws like Nomari Burnett did, they
- 6:30use angles and spin on the ball. The ball follows a path called a
- 6:35parabola, which is a curved line you learn about in math class.
- 6:39Defense uses quick movements and timing, like when Alex Caravan
- 6:43made that steal. It's all real science in action
- 6:47during the game. One more recent update from
- 6:49yesterday, April 7th, Videos of the celebration are going viral.
- 6:55People are watching the trophy lift and player interviews over
- 6:58and over. Andy Katz talked with Yaxel
- 7:01Lendeborg about how it felt to win.
- 7:04Kids everywhere are talking about Michigan's comeback
- 7:08spirit. To wrap up what we learned
- 7:15today, Michigan beat UConn 69 to 63 on April 6th to win the 2026
- 7:23NCAA Championship, their second ever and 1st in 37 years.
- 7:28Stars like Linda Borg, Cadao and Burnett made key plays in a
- 7:33close game at Lucas Oil Stadium. It shows teamwork and practice
- 7:37payoff. Thanks for tuning into kid cast
- 7:40daily. Keep learning, stay active, and
- 7:43we'll see you next time with more fun facts.
- 7:47Happy on breakfast, feeling fine, adventures waiting, don't
- 7:52be late. Today's the.
- 7:54Day we celebrate kid Cast Daily starts your day.