BOSTON, Mass. — Michigan got a taste of the other side of a championship rivalry Friday night, as No. 4 UConn beat the 16th-ranked Wolverines 85-77 at TD Garden in Boston seven months after losing the 2026 national title game to them.
The Huskies controlled most of the night. A 9-0 burst over the last two minutes of the first half sent UConn to the locker room up 43-30, and an 8-0 run early in the second half stretched the margin to 18.
Michigan clawed back behind Trey McKenney, who scored all 22 of his points after the break, a career best. J.P. Estrella had 19 points and nine boards, and Roddy Gayle Jr. added 18. The Wolverines won the second half 47-42 but never got closer than eight.
The result evened the all-time series between the programs at 3-3. Michigan had beaten UConn 69-63 in April for the program’s second NCAA crown, its first since 1989, and the Wolverines had opened this season with an 84-68 win over Oakland on Nov. 2.
Michigan, now 1-1, comes home to host Marquette at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor next Wednesday, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
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