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Charles Barkley raves about Michigan, challenges UConn: ‘Up your game’
By David Wasson
Published:
For the Connecticut basketball team to win its third national championship in four seasons, the Huskies must first get past Michigan in Monday night’s 2026 NCAA Tournament finale (8:50 pm ET, TBS/TruTV).
Which means solving a Wolverines team that not only dominated Arizona 91-73 in Saturday night’s national semifinals but overcoming a Michigan team that has earned the respect of TNT Sports analyst Charles Barkley.
“This is the same Michigan team we’ve seen every game,” Barkley said after the Wolverines controlled Arizona for the full 40 minutes at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. “You’re going to have to raise your level. They have played the same way in every game.
“I didn’t think they were going to blow Arizona out, but they’ve played the same way in every game in this tournament. So if you’re UConn, you’re going to have to up your game – because they have been driving the same speed limit, maybe over-speeding a bit, but flat-lining the entire time.”
Michigan (36-3) recorded its fifth straight double-digit March Madness victory – and also became the first team in NCAA Tournament history to score at least 90 points five times in a single tournament – by swarming Arizona defensively and running the Wildcats into the ground with relentless pace.
The Wolverines will face a UConn (34-5) team that muscled past Illinois 71-62 in Saturday’s early national semifinal.
Can Michigan win the national championship? Predict Monday’s big game on Kalshi!
An APSE national award-winning writer and page designer, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.